AzTrials
AzTrials

Iron DeficiencyMIANCT01156896

Malaria and the Safety of Iron Supplements and Iron Fortification

A study testing Ferrous sulfate in people with Iron Deficiency, run by Columbia University at 1 site in Thailand.

Completed

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

Official record
Search all trials

Trial summary

The primary study hypothesis of the investigators is that administration of an iron supplement between meals at a dose like that used in the Pemba trial (~1 mg Fe/kg) during P. falciparum parasitemia will increase plasma non-transferrin-bound iron. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 50 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Iron Deficiency
What is being tested?
Ferrous sulfate
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
23 participants
Where
1 siteThailand
Study dates
Jul 2010to Jul 2014
Phase
Interventional
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 18 to 50 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult

Who may be able to join

  • men or premenopausal woman, 18 to 50 years of age;
  • peripheral blood positive for asexual forms of P. falciparum (this criterion not applicable to uninfected healthy control subjects);
  • women not pregnant by self-report and not planning pregnancy;
  • body weight <65 kg.

Who cannot join

  • presence of severe or complicated malaria as defined by WHO criteria;
  • clinical evidence of ill health or a history of chronic disorders;
  • treatment for mental illness;
  • imprisonment;
  • institutionalization.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Thailand1 site
  • Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Mahidol University

    Bangkok, 10400

Other trials in Thailand

About this study

Official title: Malaria and Iron Intervention Safety: Absorption and NTBI

The primary study hypothesis of the investigators is that administration of an iron supplement between meals at a dose like that used in the Pemba trial (~1 mg Fe/kg) during P. falciparum parasitemia will increase plasma non-transferrin-bound iron. A key subsidiary hypothesis is that iron administered with meals in amounts used in food fortification (~0.1 mg Fe/kg) will not produce plasma non-transferrin-bound iron.

This research will be carried out at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand. The studies are intended to help understand how giving iron and folic acid to preschool children in Pemba, Zanzibar, Tanzania, (the "Pemba trial") in the doses recommended by the World Health Organization, could have resulted in an increase in hospitalizations and deaths. The investigators will examine the most likely explanation, that the dose of iron supplements used in the Pemba trial produced iron in the blood not bound to the usual carrier for iron (a protein called "transferrin"), that is called "non-transferrin-bound iron", abbreviated as NTBI. In children with malaria, this NTBI might favor the growth of malarial parasites or other causes of infection. At present, no studies have been carried out to see if NTBI is present after giving iron to patients with malaria. Using non-radioactive forms of iron (called "stable isotopes"), the investigators will study iron absorption and NTBI after giving a single dose of iron (like that used in the Pemba trial) one day after treatment for malaria has been started, while patients still have malaria parasites in the blood, and then again two weeks later, after the malaria has been cured. The investigators will study adults admitted to the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Bangkok, Thailand, with malaria. For reasons of safety, the investigators have chosen to study adults in the hospital rather than children living in an area like Pemba but the results should also apply to children. The outcome of this research will help us design ways of safely giving iron in malarious areas to adults and children to prevent or treat iron deficiency.

Read the detailed description

This research will determine the effects of acute infection with Plasmodium falciparum on the absorption, pharmacokinetics and metabolism of iron from iron supplements and other iron preparations in non-immune adults in Thailand. Our project will combine measurements of iron absorption during and after successful treatment of acute uncomplicated falciparum malaria with characterization of the pharmacokinetics of the appearance of plasma nontransferrin-bound iron (NTBI) and measurements of the iron regulatory hormone, hepcidin, and other proteins of iron metabolism. We will examine iron supplements like those used in the Pemba supplementation trial (Sazawal et al., Lancet 2006; 367, 133-143) as well as alternative iron interventions that could minimize or avoid the formation of plasma non-transferrin-bound iron. This research has three specific aims:

  1. to characterize the pharmacokinetics of the appearance of non-transferrin bound iron in the systemic circulation after oral administration of an iron supplement or other iron intervention;
  2. to determine the effect of acute uncomplicated falciparum malaria on absorption of iron from iron supplements and other iron interventions, using erythrocyte incorporation of stable isotopes of iron;
  3. to assess the effects of acute uncomplicated falciparum malaria on iron metabolism by repeated measurements of serum hepcidin, transferrin receptor, ferritin, haptoglobin, and concentrations of pro- (Th-1) and anti- (Th-2) inflammatory cytokines, erythrocyte zinc protoporphyrin, and the complete blood count with absolute reticulocyte count and reticulocyte hemoglobin content (CHr).

These studies of the effects of infection with P. falciparum on iron absorption and metabolism will further our basic understanding of the interaction of iron supplements with malaria and other infections. The results could help guide the choice of optimal means for the prevention and treatment of iron deficiency in regions endemic for malaria. Characterization of the pharmacokinetics of changes in plasma iron produced by administration of conventional iron supplements could lead to the design and development of new formulations of supplemental iron that would maximize iron absorption while minimizing risks associated with non-transferrin-bound plasma iron. Because of the public health importance of assuring iron sufficiency in mothers, our studies are focused on women of childbearing age but the results should be broadly applicable to the optimal means of providing iron to infants and children.

Conditions
Iron Deficiency
Being tested
Ferrous sulfate
Keywords
Non-transferrin-bound iron, Iron stable isotopes, Iron deficiency, Malaria, Iron supplementation, Iron fortification
Medical subject headings
Iron Deficiencies, Malaria

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Ferrous sulfateDietary supplement

    Ferrous sulfate, ~1 mg Fe/kg body weight, given as a single dose in the fasting state.

  • Ferrous sulfateDietary supplement

    Ferrous sulfate, ~1 mg Fe/kg body weight, given as a single dose with a standard Thai rice meal.

  • Ferrous sulfateDietary supplement

    Ferrous sulfate, ~1 mg Fe/kg body weight, given as a single dose with a standard Thai rice meal with added oil.

  • Ferrous sulfateDietary supplement

    Ferrous sulfate, ~0.1 mg Fe/kg body weight, given as a single dose with a standard Thai rice meal.

Study groups in NCT01156896
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Iron interventionExperimentalAll study subjects with malaria and all control subjects will receive an iron intervention (supplement or fortification dose of iron). Control subjects will be studied on only one occasion. Study subjects with malaria will receive the same iron intervention two weeks later, after the malarial episode has been successfully treated.
Receives: Dietary Supplement: Ferrous sulfate

What is being measured

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

  1. Plasma non-transferrin-bound iron (NTBI)

    After administration of an iron intervention, plasma non-transferrin-bound iron pharmacokinetics will be determined.

    Measured: 0, 2, 4, 8, 12 and 24 hours

Secondary outcomes (2)
  1. Erythrocyte 58Fe incorporation

    Erythrocyte 58Fe incorporation will be measured using stable-isotope techniques.

    Measured: Determined 2 weeks after iron intervention

  2. Fractional 57Fe absorption

    Fractional 57Fe absorption will be measured using stable-isotope techniques

    Measured: Determined 2 weeks after iron intervention

Timeline

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

  1. First posted5 Jul 2010 (estimated)
  2. Study startJul 2010
  3. Primary completionJul 2014
  4. Study completionJul 2014

Resources

More details

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

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Basic science
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
23 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT01156896
Sponsor's protocol ID
AAAF0995
Other IDs
U01HD061233-04
Acronym
MIA
Status last verified
Feb 2015
First submitted
2 Jul 2010
Last updated
12 Feb 2015
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Ferrous sulfate in people with Iron Deficiency, run by Columbia University at 1 site in Thailand.

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 4 inclusion and 5 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 Feb 2015. 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 Thailand. 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?

Plasma non-transferrin-bound iron (NTBI) (time frame: 0, 2, 4, 8, 12 and 24 hours). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
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 Feb 2015.

Free account

Log in to keep searching

You’ve used your 3 free searches. AzTrials is free: log in or create a free account to keep searching clinical trials and save the ones you want to follow.

Create a free accountLog in