What the literature says about Systemic Enzyme Support…
and: Respiratory Tract Infections

Systemic enzyme therapy in the treatment of children with recurrent infections of respiratory tract.  
Vokálová I. Systemic enzyme therapy in the treatment of children with recurrent infections of respiratory tract. VOX PEDIATRIAE 2003, Vol. 2., No. 9, pp. 29 – 30. [Czech]  
The article summarizes a four-year-experience with use of systemic enzyme therapy in the treatment of recurrent respiratory diseases in children.

Efficacy of Wobenzym in the treatment of recurrent respiratory infections was studied in children treated during 1997-1999 in the pediatric and allergology and clinical immunology practice. 30 children, aged 3-15 years, showing a high sickness rate and deviation of at least one of the tested immune parameters (reduced IgA, IfM, IgG, CD3 or elevated IgE) were included into the study. The most frequent diagnoses were recurrent bronchitis (15 children), proven asthma bronchiale (6 children), and recurrent laryngitis (4 children) accompanied by rhinitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, and otitis. 9 children suffered additionally from atopic eczema.

Children received Wobenzym at the daily dose of 1 coated tablet per 6 kg body weight. Daily dose was divided into 2-3 subdoses. Treatment started in autumn and lasted for 6 months. Prior to the start of Wobenzym treatment children underwent basic laboratory examinations, smears from nose and throat, ORL examination, and screening for basic parameters of cellular and humoral immunity.
Wobenzym treatment led to a reduction of recurrence and dyspnea attacks in patients suffering from recurrent bronchitis.

Moreover, frequency of acute respiratory infections as well as number and severity of dyspnea attacks decreased also in children with proven asthma. In case of recurrent laryngitis patients there were basically no more laryngeal dyspnea attacks observed, whereas prior to the Wobenzym treatment nearly every banal respiratory infection resulted into such attack. Even if the disease occurred, it’s severity was mild and administration of corticoids, so far necessary at each laryngitis attack, was not necessary anymore. In children with atopic eczema, a marked improvement of skin condition was observed and outlasted for several months after end of Wobenzym therapy.

Before treatment, elevated levels of IgE were found in 50 % patients. Wobenzym therapy resulted in reduction of primarily elevated IgE levels in 93 % patients. IgA level before treatment was elevated in 33 % of patients. Wobenzym treatment led to a IgA normalization in 60 % patients. In 30 % patients IgA level increased, although it did not reach the normal values, yet.

Furthermore, clinical documentation of another 109 patients treated with Wobenzym in 1999-2001 was evaluated aiming to study the efficacy of Wobenzym in the treatment of recurrent respiratory diseases. Study group consisted of children up to 10 years – 74 % (42 % children up to 6 years, 32 % children 6-10 years), 13 % children and youth 10-18 years, 13 % patients older than 18 years. The most frequent immunological deviations were elevation of IgE levels (41 % patients) and decreased IgA levels (20% patients).

Patients used mainly Wobenzym, in some cases Phlogenzym. Treatment duration was 6 months. Children used Wobenzym at the recommended dosage; usual daily dose for adults was 3x 4-5 coated tablets. Daily dose of Phlogenzym for adults was 3×2 tablets. In children, Phlogenzym was preferred in the treatment of laryngitis.
Daily dose of Phlogenzym for children was 1 tablet per 10 kg body weight.
Systemic enzyme therapy resulted in reduction of both frequency and severity of diseases. Therefore, associated prescription of antibiotics was also significantly reduced. Regarding the laboratory results, reduction or normalization of IgE values was found in 47 % enzyme-treated patients; lowered IgA levels were adjusted in 64 % patients. Very interesting were the results concerning ECP (eosinophil cationic protein) – a marker of atopic inflammation.
Elevated ECP levels were measured in 20 patients (20 %) before start of enzyme treatment. After the treatment, decrease of elevated ECP levels was found in 18 out of 20 patients.

Summary of findings for individual diagnoses:
Recurrent tonsillitis – children repeatedly suffering from tonsillitis and using antibiotics were first treated with combination of antibiotics and Wobenzym. If the laboratory examination performed at disease recurrence did not prove a streptococcal tonsillitis, only Wobenzym and antipyretics were administered. Tonsillitis course was gradually palliated, frequency of disease attacks decreased and in number of patients disappeared completely.

Recurrent laryngitis – systemic enzyme therapy suppressed laryngeal dyspnea and through its immunoregulatory effect caused lowering of sickness rate. Phlogenzym was often preferred in combination with basal treatment.
Atopic eczema – positive effect of Wobenzym was reached by a systemic effect on inflammatory process. However, an improvement of skin condition was observed after long term (3 months) treatment accompanied by further dietetic and regimen measures. Improvement outlasted after discontinuation of therapy. Asthma bronchiale – systemic enzyme therapy was a suitable supplementary treatment, it reduced frequency of acute diseases and often enabled to reduce a dosage of inhalation corticoids.

It can be concluded that systemic enzyme therapy represents a novel therapeutic modality helping in the treatment of children showing a high sickness rate.
Poster Reference Number 51. 
Therapeutic efficacy of Wobenzym in patients with focal pneumonia.  
Shved M.I., Dubkova G.I. Therapeutic efficacy of Wobenzym in patients with focal pneumonia. Visnik naukovych doslid

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