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Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)PepsinNCT01091805

Correlation of Oropharyngeal Pepsin and Gastroesophageal (GE) Reflux

An observational study of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), run by Wake Forest University Health Sciences 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

The purpose of this research study is to see if GE reflux events are associated with increasing levels of pepsin in spit samples. Pepsin is a special protein called an "enzyme" that is made only in your stomach. It is not normally found in your throat. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Any ageHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
How many people
143 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Dec 2008to Oct 2013
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 Any age
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Child, Adult, Older adult

Study population: Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Section of Gastroenterology Pediatric Clinic

Who may be able to join

  • Pediatric patients from birth to 18 years (including premature infants) who are deemed clinically to require 24 hour esophageal pH/impedance.
  • Pediatric patients (newborn to 18 years) undergoing MBS who have had or will have pH/MII monitoring within 6 months.
  • Patients' parents or legal guardians will provide written informed consent for the protocol. When appropriate, patient assent will be obtained.

Who cannot join

  • Patients with anatomic facial anomalies or facial discomfort precluding nasal intubation of the pH/MII catheter.
  • Patient unable to complete a 24 hour pH/MII study.
  • Children fed exclusively with nasogastric or nasojejunal (transpyloric) tube at the time of study.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center

    Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27157

Other trials in United States

About this study

The purpose of this research study is to see if GE reflux events are associated with increasing levels of pepsin in spit samples. Pepsin is a special protein called an "enzyme" that is made only in your stomach. It is not normally found in your throat. Pepsin breaks down food proteins that you eat to form nutritional building blocks that your body can use to grow. An enzyme is a substance that helps break down proteins.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is very common in infants and children, but can result in serious health problems if not accurately diagnosed. The investigators currently do not have a definitive test to be used as a standard for diagnosing pediatric GERD.

Read more

Measurement of pepsin, an enzyme normally produced only in the stomach, has been used as a non-invasive way to detect gastric aspiration (reflux of stomach fluid into the airway) in both adults and children, but using pepsin to detect reflux has not been tested. Since pepsin should not be present in the normal esophagus and respiratory tract, but is always present in reflux fluid from the stomach, the investigators believe that the more GE reflux the investigators detect, the higher the levels of pepsin the investigators see in the fluid collected from the mouth. If patients do not have GE reflux, but have swallowing problems alone in which food or liquid goes into the airway, the investigators expect that these patients will have no pepsin in the fluid collected from their mouth.

The investigators will test these hypotheses by measuring pepsin levels from mouth fluid and comparing them with the number of GE reflux events the investigators find using the pH/impedance (MII (multichannel intraluminal impedance)) test. Since the investigators are interested in pepsin levels for all types of reflux - acid and non-acid -the investigators will study children whether or not they are on acid blocking medicines. The investigators will also look at pepsin levels in patients whose pH/MII is normal, but have aspiration alone that the investigators find on a modified barium swallow (MBS) study. The investigators will measure pepsin levels in healthy children with no reflux symptoms and no swallowing problems as the investigators controls. The investigators anticipate that this study will show a positive correlation between GE reflux events and the presence of oropharyngeal pepsin, which may allow us to use pepsin as a way to test for reflux.

Medical subject headings
Gastroesophageal Reflux

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Positive correlation between GE reflux events and oropharyngeal pepsin concentrations

    1. Total number of GE reflux events by MII over 24 hours. Events will be further subdivided into acid or non-acid based on distal pH measurements.
    2. Total number of GE reflux events by MII over 24 hours will be classified as distal, mid, or proximal esophagus. Proximal events will be classified as acid or non-acid based on proximal pH sensor recordings.
    3. Esophageal clearance time for all GE reflux events.
    4. Oropharyngeal pepsin concentration immediately before and 30 minutes after feeds.
    5. Oropharyngeal pepsin concentration after awakening.

    Measured: 24 Hours

  2. Compare oropharyngeal pepsin concentrations in patients with GE reflux to a. patients with normal pH/MII and isolated oral aspiration on MBS b. healthy controls.

    Measured: 24 hours

Secondary outcomes (2)
  1. Non-acid GE reflux events are positively correlated with increasing levels of oropharyngeal pepsin.

    1. Total number of GE reflux events by MII over 24 hours. Events will be further subdivided into acid or non-acid based on distal pH measurements.
    2. Total number of GE reflux events by MII over 24 hours will be classified as distal, mid, or proximal esophagus. Proximal events will be classified as acid or non-acid based on proximal pH sensor recordings.
    3. Esophageal clearance time for all GE reflux events.
    4. Oropharyngeal pepsin concentration immediately before and 30 minutes after feeds.
    5. Oropharyngeal pepsin concentration after awakening.

    Measured: 24 hours

  2. Patients with isolated oral aspiration (without GE reflux) will have no oropharyngeal pepsin.

    1. Total number of GE reflux events by MII over 24 hours. Events will be further subdivided into acid or non-acid based on distal pH measurements.
    2. Total number of GE reflux events by MII over 24 hours will be classified as distal, mid, or proximal esophagus. Proximal events will be classified as acid or non-acid based on proximal pH sensor recordings.
    3. Esophageal clearance time for all GE reflux events.
    4. Oropharyngeal pepsin concentration immediately before and 30 minutes after feeds.
    5. Oropharyngeal pepsin concentration after awakening.

    Measured: 24 hours

Timeline

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

  1. First posted24 Mar 2010 (estimated)
  2. Study startDec 2008
  3. Primary completionSep 2013
  4. Study completionOct 2013

Resources

More details

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

Study design
Study type
Observational
Observational model
Case only
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrolment
143 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT01091805
Sponsor's protocol ID
IRB00006309
Acronym
Pepsin
Status last verified
Mar 2013
First submitted
23 Mar 2010
Last updated
13 Apr 2017
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No

Publications

  • Fortunato JE, D'Agostino RB Jr, Lively MO. Pepsin in saliva as a biomarker for oropharyngeal reflux compared with 24-hour esophageal impedance/pH monitoring in pediatric patients. Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2017 Feb;29(2). doi: 10.1111/nmo.12936. Epub 2016 Sep 7.

    PubMed 27604397

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), run by Wake Forest University Health Sciences 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 3 inclusion and 3 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 13 Apr 2017. 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.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Positive correlation between GE reflux events and oropharyngeal pepsin concentrations (time frame: 24 Hours). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT01091805, which also lists 1 linked publication.

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 13 Apr 2017.

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