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Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

NCT number NCT00580619
Other study ID # 060662
Secondary ID CRC-1636CRC-1705
Status Completed
Phase Phase 1
First received December 17, 2007
Last updated January 16, 2017
Start date April 2007
Est. completion date January 2017

Study information

Verified date January 2017
Source Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Contact n/a
Is FDA regulated No
Health authority
Study type Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The investigators propose to test the hypothesis that the sympathetic nervous system contributes to the cardiovascular and inflammatory abnormalities present in the chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and, in particular in the subset of patients characterized by postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS). CFS and POTS are seen mostly in otherwise normal young women, and are the cause of significant disability. A substantial proportion of patients referred for evaluation of POTS met diagnostic criteria for CFS and, conversely, a subset of patients referred for treatment for CFS have POTS. The investigators hypothesize that sympathetic activation underlies the pathophysiology of patients in whom CFS and POTS overlap (CFS-P).


Description:

In Specific Aim 1, the investigators will use state-of-the-art measurements of sympathetic activity (autonomic function tests, response to trimethaphan, direct nerve sympathetic traffic recordings with microneurography, plasma norepinephrine, and intraneuronal metabolites), inflammatory mediators (C-reactive protein, inflammatory cytokines), and oxidative stress (isoprostanes) in patients with CFS-P. It is important that appropriate control groups be included, and we will also study patients with CFS without orthostatic tachycardia, patients with POTS without CFS, and normal controls.

The investigators have documented abnormalities in volume regulation in POTS patients. Hypovolemia can contribute to sympathetic activation and, vice versa, sympathetic activation can contribute to hypovolemia. Interrupting this vicious circle with acute saline infusion is the most effective treatment to improve symptoms in POTS patients. Not surprisingly, many POTS patients followed by the investigators, and CFS patients followed by Dr. David Bell, are using saline pulse therapy as a way to alleviate symptoms. However, the efficacy and safety of this approach has not been proven. The investigators propose to validate this treatment in Specific Aim 2.

This group studies show that nitric oxide is arguably the most important metabolic factor involved in cardiovascular regulation. Abnormalities in nitric oxide have been proposed to contribute to CFS and POTS, but proving this has been challenging in part due to its interaction with the sympathetic nervous system. In Specific Aim 3, the investigators propose to investigate the importance of nitric oxide in CFS-P patients using an experimental approach developed in our laboratory to eliminate nitric oxide/autonomic interactions.

Finally, in Specific Aim 4, they propose a proof-of-concept study to test the hypothesis that sympathetic activation contributes to many of the abnormalities found in CFS patients. If our hypothesis is correct, inhibition of sympathetic tone will result in improvement of the abnormalities described in volume, inflammation, and oxidative stress. More importantly, it will result in symptomatic improvement in these patients. The investigators believe, therefore, that the studies proposed in this application will improve the understanding of the pathophysiology of CFS, and provide a rationale approach to the treatment of this disabling condition.


Recruitment information / eligibility

Status Completed
Enrollment 170
Est. completion date January 2017
Est. primary completion date January 2017
Accepts healthy volunteers Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Gender All
Age group 18 Years to 65 Years
Eligibility Inclusion Criteria:

- Meet CDC diagnostic criteria of CFS (Fukuda et al., 1994)

- Meet diagnostic criteria of POTS (Raj et al., 2005)

- Age between 18-65 years

- Male and female are eligible (although the majority of patients with CFS-P are female)

Exclusion Criteria:

- Presence of medical conditions that can explain postural tachycardia syndrome (e.g., dehydration, medications)

- Presence of medical or psychiatric conditions known to cause fatigue (Fukuda et al., 1994). Inability to give, or withdrawal of, informed consent

- Inability to acquire or maintain adequate long-term intravenous access (peripheral indwelling catheter, PIC)

- Pregnancy

- Other factors which in the investigator's opinion would prevent the subject from completing the protocol

- Patients who are bedridden or chair-ridden

Study Design


Intervention

Other:
Autonomic Function Testing
The autonomic function tests include asking the subject to breathe deeply for two minutes and breathing as fast and as hard as they can for 30 seconds, maintaining a handgrip for 3 minutes, breathing against pressure for 15 seconds, placing one hand in ice water for 1 minute and an orthostatic test. All these tests are meant to stimulate the autonomic nervous system to produce changes in blood pressure and heart rate of short duration that reflect how well the involuntary nervous system is working. In addition, a 24-hour blood pressure monitoring and exercise test may be also performed in some subjects.
Saline infusions
The effects of continuous IV infusion or pulse IV administration of saline in increasing total blood volume and fatigue score will be evaluated
Drug:
L-NMMA trimethaphan
Trimethaphan IV infusion for approximately 60 minutes at a dose of 4-6 mg/min L-NMMA IV infusion for approximately 45 minutes at 125, 250, and 500 mg/kg/min for 15 minutes each
methyldopa
Aldomet oral twice a day for 12 weeks

Locations

Country Name City State
United States Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville Tennessee

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor Collaborator
Vanderbilt University

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

References & Publications (1)

Okamoto LE, Raj SR, Peltier A, Gamboa A, Shibao C, Diedrich A, Black BK, Robertson D, Biaggioni I. Neurohumoral and haemodynamic profile in postural tachycardia and chronic fatigue syndromes. Clin Sci (Lond). 2012 Feb;122(4):183-92. doi: 10.1042/CS2011020 — View Citation

Outcome

Type Measure Description Time frame Safety issue
Primary Heart rate Duration of the intervention
Secondary Blood Pressure Duration of the intervention
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