Proteolytic enzymes in lymphedema therapy
Dzupina A., Morvay P., Dzupina M.
Department of Internal Medicine,City Hospital, Bardejov, Slovak Republic
Department of Immunoallergology, City Hospital, Bardejov, Slovak Republic
41st Annual World Congress - ICA'99, International College of Angiology, Sapporo, Japan, July 3-10, 1999, Scientific Posters pp. 76
601 KA
Purpose
The goal
of this study was to establish the effect of Wobenzym in lymphedema therapy.
Material
and Methods
Clinical
examination, duplex sonography, radionuclide lymphoscintigraphy, CT and MRI
established the diagnosis of lymphedema in 50 patients (12 primary, 38
secondary). After 4 weeks of standard treatment consisting of manual lymph
drainage, bandaging, sequential gradient pneumatic therapy (Pneuven Bevuk), and
special exercise therapy including aqua therapy, 25 randomly selected patients
continued in standard therapy and 25 received 9 Wobenzym tablets daily for 6
weeks. A Wobenzym tablet contains pancreatin 100 mg, bromelain 45 mg, papain 60
mg, triacylglycerol lipase 10 mg, amylase 10 mg, trypsin 24 mg, chymotrypsin 1
mg and rutoside 50 mg. Patients had monitoring for common symptoms of pain,
feelings of heaviness and decreased mobility; extremity volume changes; and,
serum levels of liver enzymes, creatinine and minerals. Duplex sonography was
used to determine the centripetal fraction of venous flow.
Results
Wobenzym-treated patients noted significant beneficial effects in subjective symptoms (56%, p < 0.005), reduction of extremity volume (55%, p <0.005), duplex sonography measurements (43%, p < 0.005) compared with the non-Wobenzym group.
Conclusion
Adding Wobenzym to complete standard therapy significantly improves subjective and objective parameters of lymphedema. No adverse effects or significant changes in laboratory data were observed.