Treatment of Iron Deficiency Anemia in Malaria Endemic Ghana

April 14, 2021 updated by: Stanley Zlotkin, The Hospital for Sick Children

Seasonal Impact of Iron Fortification on Malaria Incidence in Ghanaian Children

Iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) are the most prevalent micronutrient deficiencies on a worldwide basis, especially in developing countries. The impact of severe IDA can have mortal consequences, since without adequate hemoglobin, the brain and body become deprived of oxygen and, if allowed to continue, death may ensue. It has been shown that iron supplementation in infants and young children can enhance child development, however, it may also result in increased rates of malaria in high burden areas.

The primary objective of this study is to determine the impact of providing encapsulated iron (as a powder added to complementary foods) on the susceptibility to clinical malaria among anemic and non-anemic infants and young children (6-24 months of age) living in a high malaria burden area.

The value of performing this research in Ghana is primarily that malaria and anemia remain the most important causes of death and morbidity.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Study Design:

The proposed study is a community-based blinded randomized controlled trial with 2 study arms that will be conducted in two phases:

  • Phase I will take place during the dry season (December to April), when malaria transmission rates are lower. Eligible subjects (one per household) will be individually randomized to receive a daily dose of either a powdered vitamin/mineral fortificant containing 12.5 mg of iron (plus ascorbic acid, vitamin A and zinc), or a placebo (containing all micronutrients excluding iron), added to complementary foods, for 5 months.
  • Phase II will take place during the wet season (June to October), when malaria transmission rates are higher. Eligible subjects, who did not participate in Phase I, will be individually randomized to one of the two study arms as described above and followed for 5 months.

A dual phase design, with two unique cohorts, was chosen so that preliminary results (at the end of phase 1) could be assessed by an independent Data Safety and Monitoring Committee. It is possible that during the dry season no impact of iron will be detected, while during the wet season, an impact will be observed. With this possible outcome, it is potentially feasible to translate this knowledge into a Ministry of Health Program to only provide iron supplementation (fortification) during the dry months of the year (December to April).

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
3880

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Ghana
      • Kintampo, Ghana, PO Box 200
        • Kintampo Health Research Centre

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

6 months to 2 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 6-24 months
  • Ingesting weaning food in addition to breastmilk
  • Free from malaria or other major illnesses
  • Afebrile
  • Living in Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana for duration of intervention and follow-up

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Severe anemia (hemoglobin <70g/L)
  • Weight-for-height <-3 z-score(severe wasting)
  • Kwashiorkor (defined as evidence of edema)
  • Congenital abnormality
  • Treatment with iron supplements within the past 6 months
  • Presence of any chronic illness

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Vitamin/mineral fortificant with iron
Dietary supplement: Sprinkles®
powdered vitamin/mineral fortificant WITH iron sprinkled onto food once a day for 5 months
Placebo Comparator: Vitamin/mineral fortificant without iron
Dietary supplement: vitamin/mineral fortificant without iron
powdered vitamin/mineral fortificant WITHOUT iron sprinkled onto food once a day for 5 months

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Time Frame
incidence of clinical malaria (if fever recorded a blood sample will be taken to determine parasite species and count)
Time Frame: 5 months
5 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Time Frame
changes in anemia status (blood levels of: haemoglobin(Hb) , ferritin (SF))
Time Frame: 5 months
5 months
severity of clinical malaria (blood parasite count)
Time Frame: 5 months
5 months
cerebral malaria (defined by a parasite count >5000/μL blood and a concurrent score of <2 on the Blantyre coma scale, with or without convulsions)
Time Frame: 5 months
5 months
hospitalization (documentation of hospitalization for any reason)
Time Frame: 5 months
5 months
death
Time Frame: 5 months
5 months
pneumonia (defined by the presence of a cough or breathing difficulties, tachypnea, lower chest wall indrawing, and the appearance of consolidation or pleural effusion on a chest X-ray)
Time Frame: 5 months
5 months
diarrhea (defined by >3 loose or watery stools in the previous 24 hours)
Time Frame: 5 months
5 months
dehydration (defined by lethargy, sunken eyes, and decreased skin turgor [>2 seconds for skin to return following a skin pinch])
Time Frame: 5 months
5 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
The Hospital for Sick Children

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Stanley H Zlotkin, PhD, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
November 1, 2009

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
October 1, 2010

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 1, 2011

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
October 21, 2009

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 26, 2009

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
October 27, 2009

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
April 19, 2021

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 14, 2021

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
April 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 1000013476

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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