Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40275239›Full record

ArticleJournal of inflammation (London, England)2025

Comparison of the inflammatory biomarkers IL- 6, TNF-α, and CRP to predict the effect of nutritional therapy on mortality in medical patients at risk of malnutrition : A secondary analysis of the randomized clinical trial EFFORT.

Carla Wunderle, Elisabeth Martin, Alma Wittig, Pascal Tribolet, Thomas A Lutz, Christina Köster-Hegmann, Zeno Stanga, Beat Mueller, Philipp Schuetz

Registry-linked trialAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of inflammation (London, England), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT02517476 (Effect of Early Nutritional Therapy on Frailty, Functional Outcomes and Recovery of Undernourished Medical Inpatients Trial), which is not on this map. Cited by 13 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
13citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT02517476 phase4completednot on this map

Effect of Early Nutritional Therapy on Frailty, Functional Outcomes and Recovery of Undernourished Medical Inpatients Trial: The EFFORT Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity Hospital, Basel, SwitzerlandRan2014 to 2018Enrolled2,088ConditionsMalnutritionArmsNutritional therapy
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

13 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Observational
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Review
  8. Review
  9. Review
  10. Review
  11. Review
  12. Article
  13. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Carla Wunderle *Medical University Department, Division of General Internal and Emergency Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Kantonsspital Aarau, Tellstrasse 25, Aarau, 5001, Switzerland.
Elisabeth Martin *Medical University Department, Division of General Internal and Emergency Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Kantonsspital Aarau, Tellstrasse 25, Aarau, 5001, Switzerland.
Alma Wittig *Medical University Department, Division of General Internal and Emergency Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Kantonsspital Aarau, Tellstrasse 25, Aarau, 5001, Switzerland.
Pascal TriboletMedical University Department, Division of General Internal and Emergency Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Kantonsspital Aarau, Tellstrasse 25, Aarau, 5001, Switzerland.
Thomas A LutzInstitute of Veterinary Physiology, University of Zurich - Vetsuisse Faculty, Zurich, 8057, Switzerland.
Christina Köster-HegmannInstitute of Veterinary Physiology, University of Zurich - Vetsuisse Faculty, Zurich, 8057, Switzerland.
Zeno StangaDivision of Diabetes, Endocrinology, Nutritional Medicine, and Metabolism, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, 3010, Switzerland.
Beat MuellerMedical University Department, Division of General Internal and Emergency Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Kantonsspital Aarau, Tellstrasse 25, Aarau, 5001, Switzerland.
Philipp SchuetzMedical University Department, Division of General Internal and Emergency Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Kantonsspital Aarau, Tellstrasse 25, Aarau, 5001, Switzerland. schuetzph@gmail.com.

Funding

Forschungsrat des Kantonsspitals Aarau 1410.000.058Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung PP00P3_150531
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundInflammation is a key driver of disease-related malnutrition and patients with high inflammation may not show the same benefits from nutritional therapy as other patients. We compared in an exploratory manner the prognostic ability of interleukin- 6 (IL- 6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and C-reactive protein (CRP) to predict outcome and response to nutritional therapy, respectively, within a large cohort of patients from a previous nutritional trial.

methodsThis is a secondary analysis of the Swiss-wide, multicenter, randomized controlled Effect of early nutritional therapy on Frailty, Functional Outcomes, and Recovery of malnourished medical inpatients Trial (EFFORT) trial comparing individualized nutritional support with usual care nutrition in medical inpatients. The primary endpoint was 30-day all-cause mortality.

resultsWe included 996 patients with an overall mortality rate of 6% within 30 days. Compared to patients with low IL- 6 level < 11.2pg/mL, patients with high levels had a more than 3-fold increase in mortality at 30-days (adjusted HR 3.5, 95% CI 1.95-6.28, p < 0.001), but tended to have a less pronounced mortality benefit from individualized nutritional therapy as compared to usual nutritional care (hazard ratio 0.82 vs. 0.32). CRP and TNF-α were not associated with mortality, but patients with increased CRP levels > 100 mg/dl also showed a trend towards a diminished response to nutritional intervention (hazard ratio 1.25 vs. 0.47).

conclusionOur findings support the thesis that a high inflammatory state is linked to reduced benefits from nutritional therapy. Apparently, CRP and IL- 6 effectively predict treatment response, but IL- 6 may additionally serve as a prognostic marker for increased mortality. This finding might help to develop improved treatment strategies for patients with elevated inflammatory profiles.

trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov as NCT02517476 (registered 7 August 2015).

Indexed as

Clinical outcomesCRPIL- 6IndividualizationInflammationMortalityNutritional therapyPolymorbidTNF alpha

Identifiers

PMID40275239
PMCPMC12023447

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.