Alpha-lipoic acid treatment of 31 patients with sore, burning mouth

Alpha-lipoic acid treatment of 31 patients with sore, burning mouth.
Steele JC, Bruce AJ, Drage LA, Rogers RS 3rd.

Department of Dermatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.

OBJECTIVE: To review a series of patients with sore, burning mouth treated with alpha-lipoic acid between 2000 and May 2006 and subjectively evaluate improvement in symptoms. DESIGN: Retrospective review of medical records of 195 consecutive patients who sought treatment for sore, burning mouth. Treatment of 47 patients was a prescription/recommendation for alpha-lipoic acid. Of these patients, 35 were available for follow-up. SETTING: Tertiary care academic medical center. SUBJECTS: Ambulatory patients given prescription /recommendation for alpha-lipoic acid 600 mg per day, in divided doses. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Reported improvement in symptoms documented in medical records and at follow-up (visits or telephone interviews). RESULTS: Thirty-one of the 35 patients (66% of all 47) actually took alpha-lipoic acid as recommended. No patient reported a complete alleviation of symptoms. Six (19%) of these 31 patients felt mostly better, five (16%) felt somewhat better, and 14 (45%) reported no difference. Two patients (7%) reported a worsening of symptoms and four (13%) did not know whether there had been improvement. CONCLUSION: Eleven of 31 patients (35%) reported benefit from taking alpha-lipoic acid. Because we examined only a small number of patients and relied on a subjective outcome assessment, further larger studies using a prospective, randomized, controlled, and double-blind structure are warranted.

PMID: 18266840 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]