Active clinical trials for "Severe Acute Malnutrition"

The overall objective of the research is to assess the long-term and cost-effectiveness of a combined nutrition psychosocial intervention to a stand-alone nutritional treatment of children with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) aged 6 to 24 months in the Saptari District of Nepal.

This project aims to assess the efficacy of three options under consideration in India for home management of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM). The investigators propose to conduct a multi-center randomized controlled trial to determine the efficacy of two community-supported home-based regimes using centrally or locally produced Ready to Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF) for recovery from uncomplicated SAM after 16 weeks of management, compared with an augmented home-prepared foods regimen. The trial will enroll 911 children with uncomplicated SAM and will have enough statistical power to detect a 15% or greater difference in recovery rates between either one of the intervention groups compared with comparison group.

Around 0.5 million under-five children are currently suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in Bangladesh and are at risk of death. Children with SAM and complications should be treated in a health care facility. It is imperative, however, to manage children with SAM but without any complications in the community. This requires a ready-to-use-therapeutic food (RUTF) that conforms to standard recommendations on its composition. The prototype RUTF is peanut based, made outside Bangladesh, and has to be imported. By developing a RUTF using local food ingredients, test it for acceptability and efficacy in the treatment of children with SAM, hopefully make the treatment of SAM cost-effective and sustainable. Hypothesis: Does the locally developed ready-to-use-therapeutic foods (RUTFs) demonstrate similar or better acceptability and efficacy in the treatment of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM) when compared to the prototype RUTF (Plumpynut)?

To test whether a ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) enriched with polyunsaturated fatty acids (RUTF-P) is as effective for the treatment of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) as standard RUTF.

This pilot study is a randomized controlled trial designed to test the effect of the administration of adjunctive azithromycin in conjunction with standard outpatient treatment for uncomplicated severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in children aged 6-59 months. Children presenting to nutritional programs in Burkina Faso who meet eligibility criteria will be randomized to a single dose of oral azithromycin or a 7-day course of amoxicillin (standard of care) upon admission into the program. All enrolled children will receive ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTF). Enrolled children will be followed at each weekly clinic follow-up visit up to 8 weeks following admission. Data on anthropometric indicators, vital status, and adverse events will be collected during follow-up. Nutritional recovery over the 8-week study period will be compared by arm.

The investigators hypothesize that the absorption of topically applied EFA-containing emollient (SSO) into the skin and thence into the bloodstream in children with SAM will improve skin barrier function and accelerate weight gain and clinical rehabilitation beyond that possible through normal standard-of-care

The need for oral antibiotics as part of the case management of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in the outpatient setting has not been studied in a prospective trial. This study will compare the recovery rates of children with SAM treated at home with locally-produced ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) with and without prescribed antibiotics as part of their outpatient case management. The investigators hypothesize that there will be no significant difference in rates of recovery between children who receive and children who do not receive antibiotics.

The primary outcome of the study is to identify gastrointestinal tolerance of under-five children with severe acute malnutrition to ready-to-drink high energy (1.5 kcal/ml) and standard energy (1 kcal/ml) oral nutrition supplement (ONS) compared to Formula-75/Formula-100. The secondary outcomes of the study are weight gain, electrolyte profile and plasma amino acid profile at the beginning and the end of stabilization phase. In this randomized, controlled trial, 108 patients with severe acute malnutrition will be enrolled. Patients are randomly assigned to 3 groups (Formula-75/Formula-100, high energy ONS, and standard energy ONS) to undergo a two-week treatment. In order to ensure an adequate intake, nasogastric-tube will be placed for home enteral nutrition for at least throughout the two-week study period. Parent or caregiver will be asked to record daily intake, vomit, and defecation score using Bristol stool chart.

The investigators will perform a randomised controlled trial of the provision of food designed for rehabilitation of malnourished children that is supplemented with n-3 fatty acids compared to usual composition. The investigators want to see whether the provision of such a food normalises the deficiencies in essential fatty acids observed in severely malnourished children faster than standard composition.

In this clinical non-inferiority trial, two foods will be compared for the treatment of SAM, testing the hypothesis that the difference in recovery rates and growth between the two test groups will be no greater than 5 percent.