Oral Dexamethasone for the Treatment of Cervical Radiculopathy - Full Text View

Sponsored by:	University of Manitoba
Information provided by:	University of Manitoba
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:	NCT00308594

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to determine whether dexamethasone is effective in the treatment of pain and disability resulting from a compressed spinal nerve in the neck (cervical radiculopathy).

Condition	Intervention	Phase
Cervical Radiculopathy	Drug: Dexamethasone	Phase II

Study Type:	Interventional
Study Design:	Treatment, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo Control, Single Group Assignment, Efficacy Study
Official Title:	Oral Dexamethasone for the Treatment of Cervical Radiculopathy: A Double Blinded, Randomized, Placebo Controlled Trial

Resource links provided by NLM:

Drug Information available for: Dexamethasone Dexamethasone acetate Doxiproct plus Dexamethasone Sodium Phosphate

U.S. FDA Resources

Further study details as provided by University of Manitoba:

Primary Outcome Measures:

Neck Disability Index

Secondary Outcome Measures:

Visual Numeric Scale for arm & neck pain
Days missed from work
Cervical Radiculopathy Neurologic Impairment Scale

Estimated Enrollment:	100
Study Start Date:	November 2006
Estimated Study Completion Date:	November 2008

Detailed Description:

Cervical radiculopathy is causes both short and long term pain and diability. The current proven treatments include pain killers or surgery if there if patients experience progressive weakness or signs or spinal cord compression. Observations in both animal models and humans indicate that there is an inflammatory component to it. Corticosteroids (such as dexamethasone)are potent anti-inflammatories which may benefit people suffering from this condition. There is some evidence to support neck injections of drug directly onto the nerve root. This mmethod of drug delivery has been implicated with some serious complications such as paralysis and stroke. Delivering these medications in a pill form may provide a similar benefit without some of the serious complications.

Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:	18 Years to 60 Years
Genders Eligible for Study:	Both
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:	No

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

Ages 18 – 60
arm and neck pain consistent with cervical radiculopathy
Neck Disability Index score of at least 15 (moderate)
symptom onset between 2 weeks and 6 months prior to enrollment

Exclusion Criteria:

Actively immunosuppressed state
clinical red flags consistent with possible infection or malignancy
acute febrile illness or infection requiring antibiotics
upper motor neuron signs consistent with myelopathy
previous orthopedic neck surgery in the area of that nerve root
known hepatic dysfunction
schizophrenia
pregnancy/nursing mothers
previous chronic corticosteroid use
diabetes mellitus on treatment
rapidly improving course
osteoporosis
hypersensitivity to product components
systemic fungal infection
recent administration of live vaccine
active tuberculosis
glaucoma
peptic ulcer disease

Contacts and Locations

Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00308594

Sponsors and Collaborators

University of Manitoba

Investigators

Principal Investigator:

Dave R Hooper, MD BSc

University of Manitoba

More Information

No publications provided

Study ID Numbers:	B2006:027
Study First Received:	March 28, 2006
Last Updated:	March 21, 2007
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:	NCT00308594 History of Changes
Health Authority:	Canada: Health Canada

Keywords provided by University of Manitoba:

cervical radiculopathy
dexamethasone
corticosteroid
oral

Study placed in the following topic categories:

Dexamethasone
Anti-Inflammatory Agents
Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal
Hormone Antagonists
Hormones, Hormone Substitutes, and Hormone Antagonists
Antiemetics
Glucocorticoids

Hormones
Neuromuscular Diseases
Peripheral Nervous System Diseases
Radiculopathy
Peripheral Nervous System Agents
Dexamethasone acetate

Additional relevant MeSH terms:

Anti-Inflammatory Agents
Dexamethasone
Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal
Antineoplastic Agents
Nervous System Diseases
Physiological Effects of Drugs
Hormones, Hormone Substitutes, and Hormone Antagonists
Gastrointestinal Agents
Antiemetics
Hormones

Glucocorticoids
Pharmacologic Actions
Neuromuscular Diseases
Autonomic Agents
Peripheral Nervous System Diseases
Therapeutic Uses
Radiculopathy
Peripheral Nervous System Agents
Central Nervous System Agents
Dexamethasone acetate

ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on July 02, 2009