Clinical remission of an HLA B27-positive sacroiliitis on vegan diet

BACKGROUND: Positive effects of fasting and vegan diet in patients with rheumatic diseases are reported in the literature.

MEDICAL HISTORY: We present a 33-year-old patient with double-sided HLA B27-positive sacroiliitis, which was diagnosed by magnetic resonance tomography. Since about 10 years he therefore had pain in the iliosacral region. Numerous sessions of physiotherapy, a cure treatment, and treatment with sulfasalazine and doxycycline were not effective. The patient was dependent on the daily intake of the nonsteroidal antirheumatics meloxicam 2 x 7.5 mg and ibuprofen 400-800 mg and the analgetic tramadol 50-150 mg, but evening and night pain and morning stiffness persisted under this treatment.

TREATMENT: We recommended a temporary vegan diet, i.e. to completely avoid animal fats and proteins.

COURSE: 3-4 days after changing on vegan diet the complaints improved distinctly and persistently. After consumption of meat 6 weeks later, complaints worsened. Consequent vegan diet again resulted in significant improvement of the pain and morning stiffness. At follow-up 3 months after the initial contact, tramadol and ibuprofen intakes had been stopped, meloxicam had been reduced to 1 x 7.5 mg. The patient was almost completely free of complaints.

CONCLUSIONS: It was demonstrated that in a single case of sacroiliitis which was refractory to other treatment, vegan diet resulted in a convincingly improvement of complaints.