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Choline in elderly asthmatics does not affect clinical symptoms

Elderly patients in this study with asthma who received choline supplementation showed improved clinical symptoms or spirometric values compared with a placebo control group, according to recent research.

“In this pilot study of elderly asthmatics, choline supplementation for 6 weeks did not affect Asthma Control Test (ACT) scores, spirometric values, blood eosinophils or serum immunoglobulin E (IgE),” Michele Columbo, MD, from the division of allergy and immunology at Bryn Mawr Hospital in Bryn Mawr, Penn., and colleagues wrote in their study. “These results will require confirmation in subjects with uncontrolled symptoms, in other ethnic groups, and following a longer treatment period with a higher dose of choline.”

Columbo and colleagues analyzed 30 asthmatic patients who were a minimum 65-years-old, with almost all patients also being atopic (90%) and using inhaled corticosteroids (97%), according to the abstract. Patients were evaluated at baseline and at 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 9 weeks and 12 weeks after receiving choline bitartrate (310 mg) and placebo capsules twice per day for 6 weeks.

They found that, compared with patients in the placebo group, choline bitartrate did not impact spirometric values, ACT scores, eosinophil counts or total serum IgE (P > 0.86), according to the abstract. There was also no significant difference between the two groups when patient ACT scores were ≤ 20, forced expiratory volume in 1 second values were < 60% and eosinophil counts were ≥ 0.6 (P > 0.63).

“Similarly, peripheral blood eosinophil counts and total serum IgE were unaffected by choline supplementation,” Columbo and colleagues wrote. “These results suggest that supplementing this methyl donor has no effect on clinical and biologic parameters in elderly asthmatics.” – by Jeff Craven

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.