Adrenal and Gonadal Hormone Replacement in Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia Nervosa Clinical Trial

Official title:

Effects of Adrenal and Gonadal Hormone Replacement in Young Women With Anorexia Nervosa

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT00310791
• Other study ID #: Anorexia04
• Secondary ID: R01HD043869
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 2/Phase 3
• First received: April 3, 2006
• Last updated: March 15, 2018
• Start date: April 2004
• Est. completion date: December 2010

Study information

• Verified date: March 2018
• Source: Boston Children’s Hospital
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

This study seeks to gain new information on why young women with anorexia nervosa are predisposed to early bone loss and osteoporosis. Through a randomized treatment trial in which participants will receive either combined therapy with the adrenal hormone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and estrogen replacement therapy or placebo, we will determine the effects of an 18-month treatment course on bone mass, circulating markers of bone turnover, and serum levels of a factor, insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I). We are also studying if these therapies change bone structure to increase skeletal strength compared to placebo, as assessed through cross-sectional geometric analysis of our bone density data by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA).

Description:

Profound osteopenia is a frequent and often irreversible complication of anorexia nervosa (AN). Adolescents with AN often have a reduced peak bone mass and are at increased risk for early osteoporosis and fractures. These young women have subnormal serum levels of gonadal steroids and the adrenal androgen dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) that may be associated with their low bone mineral density (BMD). Low DHEA levels are accompanied by decreased levels of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), estrogen, and testosterone. Previous data from our group indicate that oral DHEA therapy in young women with AN: increases lean body mass, serum levels of bone formation markers and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), and decreases urinary markers of bone resorption. We also found that standard hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) significantly decreased bone resorption markers. Information on the effects of these therapies on bone strength and ultimate fracture risk is lacking.

In this project, we will test the hypothesis that combined therapy with DHEA and estrogen/progestin will enhance bone mass in patients with AN through anabolic and antiosteolytic mechanisms. We will test the hypothesis that 18 months of DHEA + HRT will increase bone mineral density (BMD) and markers of bone formation, while decreasing bone resorption markers in these patients. The proposed study will examine whether restoring normal levels of DHEA and estrogen in these young women will increase bone mass during a critical period for bone accretion. The study will also examine whether DHEA's anabolic effects on bone are mediated through the skeletal IGF-I regulatory system. Using cross-sectional analyses of dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) data, we will also measure indices of bone structural geometry to determine if mechanical strength is compromised in these young women, and if strength is restored in response to combined anabolic/antiresorptive therapy.

To gain new information on the mechanisms underlying bone loss and fracture risk in young women with AN, our research goals are:

Specific Aim I: Through a randomized controlled trial, to measure the effects of an 18-month course of DHEA + HRT on bone mass, markers of bone turnover, and serum levels of IGF-I compared to placebo. Specific Aim II: To determine whether combined therapy with adrenal and gonadal steroid replacement changes bone structure to increase strength compared to placebo, as assessed through cross-sectional geometric analysis of DXA data.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 80
• Est. completion date: December 2010
• Est. primary completion date: October 2009
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: Female
• Age group: 15 Years to 30 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 15 - 30 years

• Anorexia nervosa by psychiatric criteria

• Amenorrhea for at least 3 months

Exclusion Criteria:

• Receiving no medications known to affects bone metabolism

• No other chronic medical conditions

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Anorexia
• Anorexia Nervosa

Intervention

Drug:
• Hormone replacement therapy (estrogen/progestin)
Hormone replacement therapy (estrogen/progestin). 0.3 mg conjugated estrogens x 3 months, followed by 9 months of oral contraceptive (20 mg ethinyl estradiol + 0.1 mg levonorgestrel)

Other:
• Placebo (Sugar Pill)
Placebo (sugar pill)

Drug:
• Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)
50 mg tablet, 1 daily

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Children's Hospital Boston	Boston	Massachusetts

Sponsors (3)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Boston Children’s Hospital	Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), United States Department of Defense

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

References & Publications (10)

Bialo SR, Gordon CM. Underweight, overweight, and pediatric bone fragility: impact and management. Curr Osteoporos Rep. 2014 Sep;12(3):319-28. doi: 10.1007/s11914-014-0226-z. Review. — View Citation

DiVasta AD, Feldman HA, Beck TJ, LeBoff MS, Gordon CM. Does hormone replacement normalize bone geometry in adolescents with anorexia nervosa? J Bone Miner Res. 2014 Jan;29(1):151-7. doi: 10.1002/jbmr.2005. — View Citation

Divasta AD, Feldman HA, Brown JN, Giancaterino C, Holick MF, Gordon CM. Bioavailability of vitamin D in malnourished adolescents with anorexia nervosa. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011 Aug;96(8):2575-80. doi: 10.1210/jc.2011-0243. Epub 2011 Jun 1. — View Citation

Divasta AD, Feldman HA, Gordon CM. Vertebral fracture assessment in adolescents and young women with anorexia nervosa: a case series. J Clin Densitom. 2014 Jan-Mar;17(1):207-11. doi: 10.1016/j.jocd.2013.02.011. Epub 2013 Apr 3. — View Citation

DiVasta AD, Feldman HA, O'Donnell JM, Long J, Leonard MB, Gordon CM. Effect of Exercise and Antidepressants on Skeletal Outcomes in Adolescent Girls With Anorexia Nervosa. J Adolesc Health. 2017 Feb;60(2):229-232. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2016.10.003. Ep — View Citation

DiVasta AD, Feldman HA, O'Donnell JM, Long J, Leonard MB, Gordon CM. Skeletal outcomes by peripheral quantitative computed tomography and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in adolescent girls with anorexia nervosa. Osteoporos Int. 2016 Dec;27(12):3549-3558 — View Citation

DiVasta AD, Mulkern RV, Gordon CM, Ecklund K. MR Imaging in a case of severe anorexia nervosa: the 'flip-flop' effect. Pediatr Radiol. 2015 Apr;45(4):617-20. doi: 10.1007/s00247-014-3145-3. Epub 2014 Aug 17. — View Citation

Donaldson AA, Feldman HA, O'Donnell JM, Gopalakrishnan G, Gordon CM. Spinal Bone Texture Assessed by Trabecular Bone Score in Adolescent Girls With Anorexia Nervosa. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2015 Sep;100(9):3436-42. doi: 10.1210/jc.2015-2002. Epub 2015 Ju — View Citation

Ecklund K, Vajapeyam S, Mulkern RV, Feldman HA, O'Donnell JM, DiVasta AD, Gordon CM. Bone marrow fat content in 70 adolescent girls with anorexia nervosa: Magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy assessment. Pediatr Radiol. 2017 Jul; — View Citation

Vajapeyam S, Ecklund K, Mulkern RV, Feldman HA, O'Donnell JM, DiVasta AD, Rosen CJ, Gordon CM. Magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy evidence of efficacy for adrenal and gonadal hormone replacement therapy in anorexia nervosa. Bone. 2018 May;110:335-342. doi: 10.1016/j.bone.2018.02.021. Epub 2018 Feb 26. — View Citation

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Areal Bone Density by DXA		18-Months