Does allopurinol reduce pain of chronic pancreatitis?

Conclusion: A dosage of 300 mg/d of allopurinol was not effective in reducing pain or improving activities of daily living in chronic pancreatitis.

Background: Allopurinol prevents the generation of oxygen-derived free radicals by inhibiting xanthine oxidase. The purpose of this study was to determine whether allopurinol is effective in reducing pain of chronic pancreatitis.

Methods: Thirteen patients with chronic pancreatitis who were experiencing abdominal pain requiring medication at least three times each week entered a randomized, double-blind, two-period crossover clinical trial. Patients evaluated their pain daily using a categorical pain intensity scale, numeric pain intensity scale, and a visual analog scale, and weekly completed a McGill Pain Questionnaire and activities of daily living (ADL) questionnaire.

Results: The mean baseline score of pain was approx 50% of most severe pain in all scoring systems. There was no significant decrease in pain associated with allopurinol compared to the placebo (p = 0.24-0.75). In addition, there was no benefit in terms of ADL score associated with allopurinol compared with placebo (p = 0.32). Mean uric acid level was decreased by 1.15 mg/dL while patients were taking allopurinol, compared to when they were taking placebo (p = 0.007).