Biomarker(s) for Glucocorticoids (BIOCORT)

Vastra Gotaland Region

Status: Completed

Conditions: Addison Disease

Treatments: Drug: Placebo; Drug: Hydrocortisone

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02152553

BIOCORT

Details and patient eligibility

About

The investigators have shown that patients with adrenal insufficiency (Addison's disease), a rare disorder, have doubled the expected mortality rate in Sweden despite Standard of Care glucocorticoid (GC) replacement. One % of the Swedish population are, however, receiving GCs for inflammatory diseases, but management is empirical and adjusted to underlying disease activity. The desired anti-inflammatory therapeutic effects cannot be differentiated from the adverse metabolic (osteoporosis, obesity, diabetes mellitus) and immunosuppressive side effects of GC. This frequently results in suboptimal GC therapy with adverse effects due to over-dosing or poor efficacy due to under-dosing. The primary aim is to identify a biomarker for the metabolic effects of GCs. Patients with Addison's disease completely lack endogenous GCs and can therefore be considered a human GC knock-out model. They can therefore be studied during near-physiological exposure and during GC starvation. This will uniquely allow a very clean biomarker identification model (using transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics). The secondary aim is to validate candidate biomarker(s) in a dose-response study using the same patient population. A biomarker of GC actions will make it possible to individualised therapy during pharmacological GC treatment. It would allow GC replacement to be monitored in Addison's disease and could become a specific diagnostic tool in patients with GC deficiency and excess (Cushings syndrome).

Enrollment: 11 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 20 to 60 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Primary adrenal insufficiency under stable glucocorticoid replacement therapy (15-30 mg of Hydrocortisone stable dose the last 3 months) due to autoimmune adrenalitis (disease diagnosed at least 12 months before inclusion), age 20-60 years, BMI 20-30 kg/m2, and ability to comply with the protocol procedures.

Exclusion criteria

• Glucocorticoid replacement therapy for indication other than primary adrenal treatment, any treatment with sex hormones inclusive contraceptive drugs, treatment with levothyroxine, diabetes mellitus, renal or liver failure, significant and symptomatic cardiovascular disease.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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11 participants in 2 patient groups, including a placebo group

Hydrocortisone

Active Comparator group

Description:

Near-physiologic doses of Hydrocortisone are being given to subjects. The first day between 09.00 and 12.00 0,024 mg Hydrocortisone/kg per hour. The first day between 12.00 and 20.00 0,012 mg Hydrocortisone/kg per hour. The first day between 20.00 and 24.00 0,008 mg Hydrocortisone/kg per hour. The second day between 00.00 and 11.00 0,030 mg Hydrocortisone/kg per hour. Hydrocortisone infusion: 0,4 ml Solu Cortef 100 mg (50 mg/ml) added in 999,6 ml sodium chloride 0,9% solution (1 mg Solu Cortef/ 50 ml total solution volume).

Treatment:

Drug: Hydrocortisone

Placebo

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

The same volume of sodium chloride 0,9% as in the other arm where Hydrocortisone is given in saline 0,9% solution. The given volume of sodium chloride will variate chronically as in Hydrocortisone arm.

Treatment:

Drug: Placebo