Report of a Pilot, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study of Megestrol Acetate in Elderly Dialysis Patients With Cachexia

Objective We examined the effects of megestrol acetate versus placebo and progressive resistance physical exercise on weight, lean muscle mass, quality of life, ability to exercise, proinflammatory cytokines, and anti-inflammatory cytokines, and their correlations with one another. Design We organized a prospective 20-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial of hemodialysis patients. Setting This study took place at the Outpatient Unit of the Northport Veteran Affairs Medical Center. Subjects We studied nine male hemodialysis patients who had two or more of the following: albumin level