Double-blind trial of the use of transfer factor in the treatment of Crohn's disease

Abstract

The authors have undertaken a double-blind controlled trial of the use of transfer factor in Crohn's disease. Thirty-three patients with known Crohn's disease completed the trial in which half the patients had three injections of transfer factor and the other half were given saline. After six months there was no significant difference in the clinical condition of either of the two groups compared with before receiving treatment. There was also no difference in their in vitro lymphocyte function, although a number of patients exhibited altered responsiveness to skin testing with tuberculin or streptokinase/streptodornase. A significant fall on Crohn's disease activity index score occurred over the initial 'acclimatizing period' before the trial started, probably related to overcoming initial introspection and the placebo effect of being part of a trial.