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Diabetes MellitusNCT00001203

Deferoxamine for the Treatment of Hemochromatosis

An observational study of Diabetes Mellitus and Heart Disease, run by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

When patients receive repeated blood transfusions the level of iron in the patient s blood can rise. When iron is processed in the body a protein known as hemosiderin can begin collecting in the organs. If too much hemosiderin collects in the organs they can begin to malfunction. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 4 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Diabetes Mellitus, Heart Disease, Hemochromatosis
How many people
151 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
22 Apr 1985to 9 Nov 2015
Phase
Observational
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 4 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child, Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Patients studied under this protocol will be at risk for or have evidence of significant excess tissue iron.
  • Most patients will be on regular blood transfusion secondary to either congenital or acquired anemia.
  • The majority of patients have homozygous beta thalassemia.
  • Patients with sickle cell anemia will be included only when there is an absolute indication for regular blood transfusions (e.g., a history of stroke).
  • Twenty to thirty adults with acquired anemia and good long-term prognosis will be accepted for study if chelation can be initiated early in their transfusion history (less than 30-50 units).

Who cannot join

  • Such patients will be excluded from study if they have diabetes or cardiac disease due to another cause (coronary artery or valvular heart disease).

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike

    Bethesda, Maryland, 20892

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Clinical Course of Patients With Transfusional Hemochromatosis on Deferoxamine

When patients receive repeated blood transfusions the level of iron in the patient s blood can rise. When iron is processed in the body a protein known as hemosiderin can begin collecting in the organs. If too much hemosiderin collects in the organs they can begin to malfunction. This condition is called transfusional hemochromatosis.

An organ of particular importance in transfusional hemochromatosis is the heart. Patients born with diseases requiring blood transfusions at birth begin to develop heart problems in their teens. These patients typically only live for 17 years. Adults that require transfusions can begin experiencing heart problems after 100-200 units of backed red blood cells.

Read more

Deferoxamine (Desferal) is a drug that binds to iron and allows it to be excreted from the body. It is the only effective way to remove iron from patients who have been overloaded with iron because of multiple transfusions. Previous studies have lead researchers to believe that deferoxamine, when given as an injection under the skin (subcutaneous), can be delay or prevent heart complications.

Researchers plan to continue studying patients receiving deferoxamine as treatment for the prevention of heart complications associated with repeated blood transfusions. In this study researchers will attempt;

  1. To determine if deferoxamine, given regularly, can indefinitely prevent the heart, liver, and endocrine complications associated with transfusional hemochromatosis
  2. To determine whether heart disease caused by transfusional hemochromatosis can be reversed by intensive treatment with deferoxamine.
Read the detailed description

The purposes of this protocol are two-fold: 1) to determine whether deferoxamine, given subcutaneously on a regular basis, can indefinitely prevent the cardiac, endocrine and hepatic complications of transfusional hemochromatosis; and 2) to determine whether cardiac disease can be reversed by intensive intravenous treatment in patients who already have objective evidence of cardiac dysfunction. The clinical manifestations and course of patients who require regular blood transfusions is well established. Those with congenital anemias who require transfusions from birth develop cardiac disease in their teens and their mean of survival is only 17 years. Adults with acquired anemias begin to exhibit cardiac manifestations of iron deposition after 100-200 units of packed red cells. Deferoxamine, when given by the subcutaneous route, has been shown to reduce substantially the total iron burden in thalassemic patients. Our results indicate that cardiac complications are delayed or prevented. We plan to continue to follow our cohort of patients on optimal medical management to determine if chelation alters disease outcome. Patients with heavy iron burdens who already manifest cardiac disease will be chelated intensely to determine whether reducing the iron burden is associated with reversal of cardiac complications.

Keywords
Desferal, Thalassemia, Liver Iron Concentration, Endocrine Evaluation, Diabetes Mellitus, Cardiac Disease, Acquired Anemia
Medical subject headings
Diabetes Mellitus, Heart Diseases, Hemochromatosis, Thalassemia

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted4 Nov 1999 (estimated)
  2. Study start22 Apr 1985
  3. Study completion9 Nov 2015

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Observational
Enrolment
151 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00001203
Sponsor's protocol ID
850087
Other IDs
85-H-0087
Status last verified
9 Nov 2015
First submitted
3 Nov 1999
Last updated
12 Dec 2019
Results posted
No

Publications

  • Lucarelli G, Galimberti M, Polchi P, Angelucci E, Baronciani D, Giardini C, Politi P, Durazzi SM, Muretto P, Albertini F. Bone marrow transplantation in patients with thalassemia. N Engl J Med. 1990 Feb 15;322(7):417-21. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199002153220701.

    PubMed 2300104
  • Ley TJ, DeSimone J, Anagnou NP, Keller GH, Humphries RK, Turner PH, Young NS, Keller P, Nienhuis AW. 5-azacytidine selectively increases gamma-globin synthesis in a patient with beta+ thalassemia. N Engl J Med. 1982 Dec 9;307(24):1469-75. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198212093072401.

    PubMed 6183586
  • Brittenham GM, Farrell DE, Harris JW, Feldman ES, Danish EH, Muir WA, Tripp JH, Bellon EM. Magnetic-susceptibility measurement of human iron stores. N Engl J Med. 1982 Dec 30;307(27):1671-5. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198212303072703.

    PubMed 7144866

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Diabetes Mellitus and Heart Disease, run by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 12 Dec 2019. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00001203, which also lists 3 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 12 Dec 2019.

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