[A survey of current nutrition therapy for the ALS patients in Japanese national sanatoriums]

Abstract

To evaluate the current nutrition therapy for the patients of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in Japan, we sent questionnaires to 53 Japanese national sanatoriums (hospitals) and were able to collect replies from 42 institutes. In these replies, information on 466 patients (262 inpatients and 204 outpatients) was reported, accounting for about 10% of all Japanese ALS patients. Patients who ate orally were more frequent (p < 0.001, chi 2 test) in the outpatients (76.0%) than in the inpatients (39.7%). When the subjects were limited to non-orally nourished cases, gastrostomy was more frequently performed (p < 0.05, chi 2 test) in the outpatients (49%) than in the inpatients (29.1%), but no significant differences were observed between the above two groups as to the quantity of daily caloric intake; the mode was 1000-1200 Cal. About a quarter of non-orally nourished patients received supplemental sodium chloride, and fewer were supplemented copper and/or zinc. The consent of the patients as well as the clinical findings weighed heavily in the determination of the feeding route. Most physicians were disinclined to encourage tube feeding in the early stage of dysphagia, but were supportive of the operation of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy when non-oral nutrition therapy became necessary. Although the efficacy of vitamins for ALS has not been proved, 45 of 58 physicians agreed to subscribe vitamins to their patients, especially vitamin B12, E and C.