DHEA Treatment for Sjogren's Syndrome - Full Text View

Purpose

This study will evaluate the effectiveness of the male hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in treating Sjogren's syndrome. This autoimmune disorder, in which the immune system attacks the salivary glands and tear glands, affects primarily women. Patients' eyes and mouth become drier over time, and can lead to problems such as serious tooth decay and eye irritations. Sex hormones seem to influence the immune response and may help decrease disease severity. DHEA has benefited some patients with two other autoimmune diseases, rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus.

Women 18 to 75 years of age with Sjogren's syndrome may be eligible for this 7-month study. At the initial visit, candidates will have a physical examination, routine blood and urine tests and eye and dental examinations, including a test to measure saliva production for screening purposes and to establish baseline values for participants.

Those enrolled in the study will be randomly assigned to take either DHEA or placebo (look-alike tablet with no active ingredient) once a day for 6 months and will be monitored with follow-up visits at months 1, 3, 6 and 7. Physical examination, blood tests and urinalysis will be repeated at months 1, 3, 6 and 7; saliva will be collected at months 3, 6 and 7; and eyes will be examined at 3 and 6 months. Because hormone changes may have both physical and emotional effects, patients will be asked questions about their mood, symptoms and side effects of treatment.

It is not known if Sjogren's syndrome is associated with osteoporosis (bone thinning), but since this condition occurs in other autoimmune disorders, patient's bone density will be measured at the first visit, and blood drawn at 3 and 6 months will be tested for various substances associated with changes in bone density. A 24-hour urine collection at the first visit and later urine tests will also be tested for substances associated with bone thinning.

Condition	Intervention	Phase
Lacrimal Apparatus Disease Salivary Gland Disease Sjogren's Syndrome Xerostomia	Drug: Dehydroepiandrosterone	Phase 2


Study Type:	Interventional
Study Design:	Primary Purpose: Treatment
Official Title:	Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) Treatment for Sjogren's Syndrome

Resource links provided by NLM:

Genetics Home Reference related topics: Sjögren syndrome

MedlinePlus related topics: Sjogren's Syndrome

Drug Information available for: Prasterone

U.S. FDA Resources

Further study details as provided by National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC):


Estimated Enrollment:	28
Study Start Date:	May 1997
Estimated Study Completion Date:	June 2002

Detailed Description:

Primary Sjogren's syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune disease chiefly affecting the exocrine glands. One of the most troublesome manifestations of SS is severe salivary gland dysfunction. There is no accepted treatment for the underlying autoimmune reactivity or the salivary gland dysfunction in SS. SS, as well as many other autoimmune diseases, predominantly affects women. Although sex hormones do not cause SS or other autoimmune disease, they appear to influence immunological responses and ultimately the severity of disease. We propose to test the effects of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a mildly androgenic adrenal hormone, on lacrimal and salivary gland function in SS. In a randomized, double-masked, outpatient protocol, patients will receive DHEA for 6 months. Efficacy of treatment will be assessed by monitoring salivary and lacrimal function, serological markers of autoimmune activity, and subjective reports of local and systemic symptoms.

Eligibility


Ages Eligible for Study:	Child, Adult, Senior
Sexes Eligible for Study:	Female
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:	No

Criteria

Females with a diagnosis of Primary Sjogren's Syndrome.

No history of breast cancer.

Contacts and Locations

Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below. For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.

Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00001598

Locations


United States, Maryland
National Institute of Dental And Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20892

Sponsors and Collaborators

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)

More Information

Publications:

Johnson JT, Ferretti GA, Nethery WJ, Valdez IH, Fox PC, Ng D, Muscoplat CC, Gallagher SC. Oral pilocarpine for post-irradiation xerostomia in patients with head and neck cancer. N Engl J Med. 1993 Aug 5;329(6):390-5.

van Vollenhoven RF, Engleman EG, McGuire JL. An open study of dehydroepiandrosterone in systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthritis Rheum. 1994 Sep;37(9):1305-10.

Lucas JA, Ahmed SA, Casey ML, MacDonald PC. Prevention of autoantibody formation and prolonged survival in New Zealand black/New Zealand white F1 mice fed dehydroisoandrosterone. J Clin Invest. 1985 Jun;75(6):2091-3.


ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:	NCT00001598 History of Changes
Other Study ID Numbers:	970123 97-D-0123
Study First Received:	November 3, 1999
Last Updated:	March 3, 2008

Keywords provided by National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC):


Xerostomia Autoimmunity Salivary Glands Androgen Therapy	Lacrimal Function DHEA Sjogren's Syndrome Dehydroepiandrosterone

Additional relevant MeSH terms:


Syndrome Sjogren's Syndrome Xerostomia Lacrimal Apparatus Diseases Salivary Gland Diseases Disease Pathologic Processes Arthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis Joint Diseases Musculoskeletal Diseases Rheumatic Diseases	Mouth Diseases Stomatognathic Diseases Dry Eye Syndromes Eye Diseases Connective Tissue Diseases Autoimmune Diseases Immune System Diseases Dehydroepiandrosterone Adjuvants, Immunologic Immunologic Factors Physiological Effects of Drugs

ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on June 28, 2017