Effectiveness of Palmitoylethanolamide on Endothelial Dysfunction in Ocular Hypertensive Patients: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Cross-Over Study
Randomised controlled trialHumans
- Design
- Randomised controlled trial
- Subjects
- 40 untreated patients with ocular hypertension (under 65, no cardiovascular risk factors) and 40 healthy age-matched controls for the baseline comparison
- Dose used in the study
- PEA 300 mg twice daily or matching placebo, prepared by the hospital pharmacy
- Duration
- 3 months, 2-month washout, then 3 months on the other treatment (crossover)
- What was measured
- Brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) by ultrasound, and intraocular pressure, at baseline and after each period
What the authors reported
Baseline FMD was lower in ocular hypertension than in controls (6.1 versus 10.9 percent). After 3 months of PEA, FMD rose to about 8.5 percent and intraocular pressure fell by about 0.85 mmHg (23.0 to 22.2; p < 0.001); placebo produced no change. Part of the FMD gain persisted through the 2-month washout. The second period repeated the pattern. No adverse events; all 40 completed.
Limits of this study
Strict entry criteria, so the sample is not typical of glaucoma patients. The pressure change is small (under 1 mmHg). FMD ultrasound has known reproducibility limits, which the authors acknowledge. Single centre in Bologna. Funding not stated in the text supplied.
Source
PubMed 23307967 · doi:10.1167/iovs.12-10899
Entry checked against the full text, supplied by Devlin on 2026-09-21. The dose shown is the dose the researchers used. It is not a recommendation. How to read this page.