Active clinical trials for "Severe Acute Malnutrition"

Whilst there is an increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity worldwide, malnutrition remains common. In addition, malnutrition, overweight, and infections often interact. The consequences of malnutrition after birth are little studied. Severe acute malnutrition in childhood remains common in Africa and Asia and many adult patients with tuberculosis or HIV, diseases which are common in Africa and Asia, may become malnourished. We are interested in diabetes, which in Africa and Asia affects people at younger age and lower weight than in Europe. There is evidence that severe postnatal malnutrition increases the risk of later diabetes but the evidence is piecemeal and there is little information as to the mechanisms involved. It is thus difficult to determine what treatments or preventative strategies are appropriate. We wish to focus on the pancreas which is a key organ in digestion and metabolic processes, especially in relation to diabetes. We will investigate pancreas size, microscopic structure, hormone and digestive enzyme production, and the body's response to these hormones among groups of people in Tanzania, Zambia, India and the Philippines. These groups have participated in the research team's previous studies of malnutrition and were malnourished before birth, as children, or as adults. They now live in places with a wide range of access to foods high in fat and sugar which could affect their risk of diabetes. We will compare their pancreas function to that of never-malnourished controls at each site. We will use advanced statistical methods to understand the links between early malnutrition and later diabetes, taking into account the factors often associated with diabetes such as age, current overweight and infection. Even if we find no important link between early malnutrition and later diabetes, the research will lead to improved understanding of the long-term consequences of malnutrition and the presentation and underlying metabolism of diabetes in Africa and Asia. Thus, the project will lead to improved health care for both malnourished and diabetic people.

Cytokines, such as IL-6 and IL-8 can be used as markers of acute infections, including acute gastroenteritis. However, there have been no previous studies on the levels of IL-6 and IL-8 in malnourished children with acute diarrhea. This study aims to evaluate serum levels of interleukins 6 and 8 in malnourished children with acute diarrhea.

Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is a life threatening condition and is defined by 1) a weight-for-height Z-score more than three standard deviations (SD) below the median based on the 2006 World Health Organization (WHO) growth standards, 2) a mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) of less than 115 mm or 3) by the presence of nutritional edema. Signs such as edema, mucocutaneous changes, hepatomegaly, lethargy, anorexia, anemia, severe immune deficiency and rapid progression to mortality characterize a state commonly coined as "complicated SAM". Kwashiorkor is one of the forms of complicated SAM commonly distinguished by the unmistakable presence of bipedal edema. SAM results in high mortality rates of up to half a million child deaths annually. Undernourished children are at higher risk of mortality ranging from three-times more risk among children with moderate malnutrition to 10-times in SAM children compared to well-nourished children. Children with complicated SAM require inpatient treatment in specialized centers. The "Rehabilitation and Nutritional Education Center" (CREN) is a specialized center in Burkina Faso receiving on average 10 SAM children per day. Recovery rate is lower than international standards; and adverse events and mortality remain strikingly high. The main objective of this study is to assess the underlying risk factors affecting the effectiveness of the nutritional therapeutic treatment protocol for complicated SAM children under 5 years of age who have been referred to the CREN, at the Centre Hôspitalier Universitaire Souro, Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. The specific objective of this study is to better understand underlying risk factors associated with a lower recovery rate and high mortality in complicated SAM children referred to CREN for inpatient care. Risk factors associated with poor response to a standard dietary treatment at any phase will be assessed retrospectively.

Amoxicillin is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) as adjunctive therapy for the treatment of uncomplicated severe acute malnutrition (SAM). Because children with uncomplicated SAM may have asymptomatic infection due to immune suppression, presumptive treatment with a broad-spectrum antibiotic may be beneficial by clearing any existing infection and improving outcomes. Two randomized placebo-controlled randomized trials have evaluated amoxicillin for uncomplicated SAM and have found conflicting results. These results may indicate either that antibiotics are not helpful for the management of uncomplicated SAM, or that a better antibiotic is needed. Recently, we demonstrated that biannual mass azithromycin distribution as a single oral dose reduces all-cause child mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Children with uncomplicated SAM, who have an elevated risk of mortality relative to their well-nourished peers, may particularly benefit from presumptive azithromycin treatment. Our pilot data demonstrated feasibility in rapid enrollment of children with uncomplicated SAM in our study area, and showed no significant difference between azithromycin and amoxicillin, demonstrating equipoise for a full-scale trial. Here, we propose an individually randomized trial in which children will be randomized to a) azithromycin, b) amoxicillin, or c) placebo, and evaluated for differences in weight gain, nutritional recovery, and the gut microbiome. The results of this study will strengthen the evidence base for policy related to the use of antibiotics as part of the management of uncomplicated SAM, including additional evidence of amoxicillin versus placebo as well as evaluation of an antibiotic class that has not been considered for uncomplicated SAM, which may lead to changes in guidelines for treatment.

As poor health conditions and malnutrition are major issues confronting the influx of Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (FDMN), there is an urgent need to prepare the service providers to control the situation and to prevent deaths and disabilities in FDMN children suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM). It is therefore imperative to assess the effectiveness of the two local Nutrition Managements (NMs); Sharnali 1 & Sharnali 2 for the treatment of SAM in an emergency in Bangladesh. If the effectiveness trial shows that the NMs are effective, either one or both varieties can be used for children with SAM in emergency situations. Ultimately a Bangladeshi solution will replace the expensive RUTF that is currently being imported for use in the FDMN camps for management of SAM.

Malnutrition underlies 45% of child deaths, and has far-reaching educational, economic and health consequences. Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) affects 17 million children globally and is the most life-threatening form of malnutrition. Community-based management of acute malnutrition using ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) has transformed outcomes for children with uncomplicated SAM, but those presenting with poor appetite or medical complications (categorised as having 'complicated' SAM) require hospitalisation. Data show that pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria are leading causes of death in children with complicated SAM after discharge from hospital. High risk of infectious deaths suggests that sustained antimicrobial interventions may reduce mortality following discharge from hospital. Furthermore, children with complicated SAM respond less well to nutritional rehabilitation, and oftentimes are discharged to a home environment characterised by poverty and multiple caregiver vulnerabilities including depression, low decision making autonomy, lack of social support, gender-restricted family relations, and competing demands on scarce resources. Caregivers have to navigate diverse challenges that impede engagement with clinical care after discharge from hospital. The objective is to address the biological and social determinants of multimorbidity in children with complicated SAM by developing multimodal packages of interventions and testing them in a 5-arm adaptive randomized controlled clinical trial, with death/hospitalization or failed nutritional recovery as the primary outcome.

Protocols for the community-based management of acute malnutrition (CMAM) have not changed significantly for more than 20 years, with relatively complex treatment protocols and persistent supply chain challenges that have limited overall program coverage, leaving millions of malnourished children without care annually. The overarching goal of this research project is to simultaneously test two novel simplified approaches in CMAM with potential to improve program coverage. The simplified approach includes two parallel clinical trials for SAM and MAM treatment. Two fixed-dose regimes of RUTF will be tested against the current weight-based dosing of RUTF for children with SAM.

Protocols for the community-based management of acute malnutrition (CMAM) have not changed significantly for more than 20 years, with relatively complex treatment protocols and persistent supply chain challenges that have limited overall program coverage, leaving millions of malnourished children without care annually. The overarching goal of this research project is to simultaneously test two novel simplified approaches in CMAM with potential to improve program coverage. The simplified approach includes two parallel clinical trials for SAM and MAM treatment. For the Family MUAC follow-up study, children who recover from these two parallel clinical trials will be enrolled in trial to test the effectiveness of MUAC screening at home by the child's caregivers as a self-referral strategy, compared to a scheduled health facility-led strategy and the standard of care of community-based follow-up visits.

The investigators propose a pilot randomized controlled trial to train mothers to screen their children post-discharge for relapse based on MUAC criteria to facilitate timely identification and referral to care for children who have relapsed.

Community-based management of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) has been shown to be safe and cost-effective, but program coverage remains low. New treatment models that maintain high levels of clinical effectiveness but allow for increased coverage are still needed. A reduced schedule of follow-up, in which children receive clinical follow-up and therapeutic foods on a monthly rather than weekly or biweekly basis, may be one alternative. This study aims to describe the safety and feasibility of a monthly distribution of ready-to-use therapeutic food in the treatment of uncomplicated SAM, in terms of clinical response to treatment and household ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) utilization. This is a non-randomized pilot intervention study in which 115 children eligible for the outpatient treatment of SAM were provided a monthly ration of RUTF. Anthropometric measurements were taken on a weekly basis for 4 weeks to monitor treatment response defined as weight gain, (mid-upper arm circumference) MUAC gain, weight loss > 5%, and the development of edema. Unannounced household spot checks were conducted over 4 weeks to assess household utilization of RUTF and storage practices.