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Acute GastroenteritisPhase 2/3ProfatNCT01737086

Comparing the Efficacy of Two Oral Rehydration Solutions, With or Without the Probiotic Lactobacillus Reuteri DSM 17938 and Zinc, on the Duration and Severity of Acute Gastroenteritis in 6 - 36 Months Old Children in Out-patient Care

A Phase 2/3 study testing Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 and zinc sulphate in people with Acute Gastroenteritis, run by Umeå University at 1 site in Sweden.

Terminated

Stopped early. The study ended before it was planned to and will not resume.

Official record
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Trial summary

Oral rehydration solution (ORS) is recommended for treatment and prevention of dehydration due to acute gastroenteritis in infants and children. Acute diarrhoea leads to zinc depletion in infants, and zinc is recommended by the World Health Organization in the treatment of acute gastroenteritis in infants and… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 6 to 36 months
Conditions the study is for
Acute Gastroenteritis
What is being tested?
Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 and zinc sulphate
Type of treatment
Pill or oral medicine
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
14 participants
Where
1 siteSweden
Study dates
Dec 2012to Feb 2014
Phase
Phase 2/3
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 6 to 36 months
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child

Who may be able to join

  • 6 - 36 months of age
  • 3 or more loose or watery stools during the past 24 hours
  • Available throughout the study period
  • Parents or legal guardians are able to give written informed consent to participation in the study.

Who cannot join

  • Diarrhoea with a duration of >48 hours at the time of recruitment.
  • Clinical signs of severe dehydration at the time of recruitment or in need of hospitalisation.
  • Clinical signs of a coexisting severe acute systemic illness (meningitis, sepsis, pneumonia).
  • Primary or secondary immunodeficiency.
  • Severe chronic diseases including cystic fibrosis, diabetes mellitus, neurodevelopmental delay or severe gastrointestinal disorders.
  • Use of probiotics in the previous 2 weeks before recruitment.
  • Use of antibiotics in the previous 2 weeks before recruitment.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Sweden1 site
  • Pediatrics, Department of Clinical Sciences, Umeå University

    Umeå, Västerbotten County, 90187

Other trials in Sweden

About this study

Oral rehydration solution (ORS) is recommended for treatment and prevention of dehydration due to acute gastroenteritis in infants and children. Acute diarrhoea leads to zinc depletion in infants, and zinc is recommended by the World Health Organization in the treatment of acute gastroenteritis in infants and children. However, the efficacy of zinc supplementation to children with acute gastroenteritis in more affluent settings is unclear. Selected strains of probiotics, including L. reuteri ATCC 55730, have been shown in several studies to shorten the duration of diarrhoea by about 24 hours, and also to attenuate symptom severity. If probiotics are given within 60 hours from onset of symptoms the duration can be reduced even more. Lactobacillus reuteri (L. reuteri) has been shown to reduce the duration and severity of acute gastroenteritis in children aged 6-36 months. In these studies L. reuteri was proven to have clinical effect on diarrhoea of both bacterial and viral (rotavirus) origin. In humans, L. reuteri strain DSM 17938 has recently been shown to reduce the duration of watery diarrhoea by 1.2 days among 6-36 mo old Italian children with acute gastroenteritis treated in hospital.

The present, community-based study aims to assess if an ORS with Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 and zinc can be superior or equivalent to ORS without probiotic and zinc in reducing the duration of acute gastroenteritis in children aged 6-36 months, with no, mild or moderate dehydration when introduced early (within 48 hours) after the start of gastroenteritis associated diarrhoea in an out-patient setting.

Read more

A prospective, randomized, double blind, controlled study with parallel groups will be performed. Assuming a difference of 25% between groups in the primary outcome of prevalence of diarrhoea 48 hours after start of treatment (80% power, alfa = 5%), and estimating an attrition rate of approximately 15%, the final sample size will be 142 subjects, or 71 subjects in each arm.

Parents contacting the health care telephone enquiry agency, the primary care emergency unit, the paediatric emergency unit, all at the Umeå University Hospital or the well-baby care centres (BVC) in Umeå for advice on their children's gastroenteritis will be informed that they may participate in the present study and they will be given contact information to the research nurse for this activity. A home visit by study personnel will then be done for evaluation of eligibility, information, collection of informed consent and delivery of study product.

Data collection points will be at the recruitment visit in the patient's home, and by telephone on day 7. If the child still has gastrointestinal symptoms on day 5 it will be referred to the primary health care facility or the outpatient clinic of the Department of Paediatrics, Umeå University Hospital.

Being tested
Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 and zinc sulphate, placebo

What participants receive

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

  • Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 and zinc sulphateDietary supplement

  • placeboDietary supplement

Study groups in NCT01737086
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
ORS with probiotic and zincExperimentalOral rehydration solution with freeze-dried Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 and zinc sulphate
Receives: Dietary Supplement: Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 and zinc sulphate
Standard ORSPlacebo comparatorStandard oral rehydration solution
Receives: Dietary Supplement: placebo

What is being measured

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

  1. Proportion of children with loose or watery diarrhoea at 48 hours after start of treatment

    Measured: 48 h after start of treatment

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. Duration of diarrhoea

    Measured: 120 hours after start of treatment

Timeline

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

  1. First posted29 Nov 2012 (estimated)
  2. Study startDec 2012
  3. Primary completionFeb 2014
  4. Study completionFeb 2014

Why it stopped: Terminated due to lack of eligible patients.

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 2/3
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Quadruple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
14 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT01737086
Sponsor's protocol ID
Profat
Acronym
Profat
Status last verified
Oct 2016
First submitted
26 Nov 2012
Last updated
1 Nov 2016
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2/3 study testing Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 and zinc sulphate in people with Acute Gastroenteritis, run by Umeå University at 1 site in Sweden.

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 7 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: stopped early, as of the sponsor's last update on 1 Nov 2016. 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 Sweden. 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. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this combined phase mean?

Phase 2 studies give the treatment to a larger group to see whether it has the intended effect and to keep checking safety.

Phase 3 studies compare the treatment with the current standard treatment or a placebo in a large group, to confirm how well it works and watch for side effects.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

The study was stopped early (reason given: Terminated due to lack of eligible patients.). Results are not available in the source record.

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?

Proportion of children with loose or watery diarrhoea at 48 hours after start of treatment (time frame: 48 h after start of treatment). 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 1 Nov 2016.

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