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Table 5.22 Branched-Chain Amino Acid Treatment for Nutritional Management Post ABI

Author Year

Country

Research Design

PEDro

Sample Size

 

Methods

 

Outcomes

Aquilani et al (2005)

Italy

RCT

PEDro=5

N=40

Population: TBI; Mean Age=32 yr; Gender: Male=40, Female=0; Mean GCS=5.9.

Intervention: Patients were randomized to receive either 19.6 g/day IV Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA) supplementation (n=20) or an iso-nitrogenous placebo (n=20) over a period of 15 days. A group of healthy patients (n=20) matched for age, sex and sedentary lifestyle served as controls for the study.

Outcome Measure: Disability Rating Scale (DRS), plasma concentration of BCAAs: tyrosine and tryptophan.

1.        At 15 days post admission, DRS scores significantly improved in patients with a TBI compared with the control group (p<0.02); improvement was greater in the BCAA group than in the placebo group (p<0.004).

2.        Fifteen days after admission only patients given BCAA supplementation significantly improved their baseline total BCAAs, including leucine (p<0.01), isoleucine (p<0.02) and valine (p<0.001).

3.        Level of plasma tyrosine significantly improved in the BCAA group (p<0.01) but remained lower than in health controls.

4.        Plasma tryptophan concentration was higher in patients on placebo than treatment (p<0.01).

5.        Nutritional intake and nitrogen balance tended to be higher in patients on placebo than in the BCAA group, but the difference was not significant.