Hormone Replacement Trial Against ALzheimers' Disease (HARALD)

January 22, 2025 updated by: University Hospital, Ghent

The influence of postmenopausal hormone treatment on dementia is not clear. Dysfunctions in the metabolism of amyloid in the disease of Alzheimer result in an elevated presence of degradation products in cerebrospinal fluid.

The degradation products in blood will be analysed during the trial, to get better insight in menopause and the start of hormonal therapy.

Postmenopausal women with and without history of breast cancer will be recruited for the trial.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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

The influence of postmenopausal hormone treatment on dementia is not clear. Recently an overview was published.

Dysfunctions in the metabolism of amyloid in the disease of Alzheimer result in an elevated presence of degradation products in cerebrospinal fluid. There are tests developed to detect those degradation products in blood.

The degradation products in blood will be analysed during the trial, to get better insight in menopause and the start of hormonal therapy. The participants will be asked to come 2 times to the hospital. At every study visit, blood will be taken and questionnaires will be completed. The first study visit will take place before the start of the hormonal treatment, the second visit will take place 6 months after the start of the hormonal treatment.

There will be 30 patients included per study group. There are 10 groups in total:

  1. Postmenopausal women who start oral hormonal treatment
  2. Postmenopausal women who start transdermal hormonal treatment
  3. Postmenopausal women who start oral hormonal treatment and had a hysterectomy in their medical history
  4. Postmenopausal women who start transdermal hormonal treatment and had a hysterectomy in their medical history
  5. Postmenopausal women who start oral hormonal treatment and have an intra-uterine device
  6. Postmenopausal women who start transdermal hormonal treatment and have an intra-uterine device
  7. Postmenopausal women with breast cancer taking selective oestrogen receptor modulators
  8. Postmenopausal women with breast cancer taking aromatase inhibitors
  9. Postmenopausal women with breast cancer taking duavive
  10. Postmenopausal women with no breast cancer and do not start with hormonal therapy

The questionnaires that needs to be completed are:

  1. Mini Mental State Examination (only at the first visit)
  2. Targeting Aetiology of Nocturia Guides Outcomes Short Form (TANGO-SF) (visit 1 and 2)
  3. International Consultation of Incontinence Modular Questionnaire (ICIQ) (visit 1 and 2)
  4. Perceived stress scale (Cohen) (visit 1 and 2)
  5. Pittsburgh sleep quality

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 (Estimated)

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.
600

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 Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Belgium
      • Ghent, Belgium, 9000
        • Recruiting
        • Ghent University Hospital
        • Contact:
        • Contact:
          • Herman Depypere, MD

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

40 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • postmenopausal women
  • 40 - 65 years

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Longer than 10 years in menopause
  • thyroid dysfunction
  • hypertension
  • medical history of psychiatric comorbidity
  • Alcohol and/or drug abuse
  • medical history of neurologic symptoms with cognitive symptoms

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: Diagnostic
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

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.
Other: oral hormonal therapy
Postmenopausal women who start with oral hormonal therapy (Progesteron + uterogestan) according to standard of care practice. Before the start of the treatment blood will be taken and 6 (and 12) months after the start of the therapy blood will be taken for analysis. At the 2/3 study visits the patient will be asked to complete the questionaires (TANGO-SF, ICIQ, Cohen, Pittsburgh sleep quality). Only at the first study visit an MMSE test will be taken, to make sure the patient has no dementia.
Procedure: blood take
Blood is taken to analyse degradation products of the metabolism of amyloid
Other: transdermal hormonal therapy
Postmenopausal women who start with transdermal hormonal (Oestrogel + uterogestan) therapy according to standard of care practice. Before the start of the treatment blood will be taken and 6 (and 12) months after the start of the therapy blood will be taken for analysis. At the 2/3 study visits the patient will be asked to complete the questionaires (TANGO-SF, ICIQ, Cohen, Pittsburgh sleep quality). Only at the first study visit an MMSE test will be taken, to make sure the patient has no dementia.
Procedure: blood take
Blood is taken to analyse degradation products of the metabolism of amyloid
Other: oral hormonal therapy + hysterectomy
Postmenopausal women who start with oral hormonal therapy (progesteron) according to standard of care practice and had a hysterectomy in the past. Before the start of the treatment blood will be taken and 6 (and 12) months after the start of the therapy blood will be taken for analysis. At the 2/3 study visits the patient will be asked to complete the questionaires (TANGO-SF, ICIQ, Cohen, Pittsburgh sleep quality). Only at the first study visit an MMSE test will be taken, to make sure the patient has no dementia.
Procedure: blood take
Blood is taken to analyse degradation products of the metabolism of amyloid
Other: transdermal hormonal therapy + hysterectomy
Postmenopausal women who start with transdermal hormonal therapy (Oestrogel ) according to standard of care practice and had a hysterectomy in the past. Before the start of the treatment blood will be taken and 6 (and 12) months after the start of the therapy blood will be taken for analysis. At the 2/3 study visits the patient will be asked to complete the questionaires (TANGO-SF, ICIQ, Cohen, Pittsburgh sleep quality). Only at the first study visit an MMSE test will be taken, to make sure the patient has no dementia.
Procedure: blood take
Blood is taken to analyse degradation products of the metabolism of amyloid
Other: oral hormonal therapy + IUD
Postmenopausal women who start with oral hormonal therapy (Progynova) according to standard of care practice and have already an intra-uterine device. Before the start of the treatment blood will be taken and 6 (and 12) months after the start of the therapy blood will be taken for analysis. At the 2/3 study visits the patient will be asked to complete the questionaires (TANGO-SF, ICIQ, Cohen, Pittsburgh sleep quality). Only at the first study visit an MMSE test will be taken, to make sure the patient has no dementia.
Procedure: blood take
Blood is taken to analyse degradation products of the metabolism of amyloid
Other: transdermal hormonal therapy + IUD
Postmenopausal women who start with transdermal hormonal therapy (Oestrogel ) according to standard of care practice and have an intra-uterine device. Before the start of the treatment blood will be taken and 6 (and 12) months after the start of the therapy blood will be taken for analysis. At the 2/3 study visits the patient will be asked to complete the questionaires (TANGO-SF, ICIQ, Cohen, Pittsburgh sleep quality). Only at the first study visit an MMSE test will be taken, to make sure the patient has no dementia.
Procedure: blood take
Blood is taken to analyse degradation products of the metabolism of amyloid
Other: selective oestrogenreceptor modulators
Postmenopausal women who start with hormonal therapy according to standard of care practice and take selective oestrogenreceptor modulators (Nolvadex) because of their cancer in their medical history. Before the start of the treatment blood will be taken and 6 (and 12) months after the start of the therapy blood will be taken for analysis. At the 2/3 study visits the patient will be asked to complete the questionaires (TANGO-SF, ICIQ, Cohen, Pittsburgh sleep quality). Only at the first study visit an MMSE test will be taken, to make sure the patient has no dementia.
Procedure: blood take
Blood is taken to analyse degradation products of the metabolism of amyloid
Other: aromatase inhibitors
Postmenopausal women who start with hormonal therapy according to standard of care practice and who taken aromatase inhibitors (Femara) because of their cancer in their medical history. Before the start of the treatment blood will be taken and 6 (and 12) months after the start of the therapy blood will be taken for analysis. At the 2/3 study visits the patient will be asked to complete the questionaires (TANGO-SF, ICIQ, Cohen, Pittsburgh sleep quality). Only at the first study visit an MMSE test will be taken, to make sure the patient has no dementia.
Procedure: blood take
Blood is taken to analyse degradation products of the metabolism of amyloid
Other: Duavive
Postmenopausal women who start with hormonal therapy according to standard of care practice and who take duavive because of their cancer in their medical history. Before the start of the treatment blood will be taken and 6 (and 12) months after the start of the therapy blood will be taken for analysis. At the 2/3 study visits the patient will be asked to complete the questionaires (TANGO-SF, ICIQ, Cohen, Pittsburgh sleep quality). Only at the first study visit an MMSE test will be taken, to make sure the patient has no dementia.
Procedure: blood take
Blood is taken to analyse degradation products of the metabolism of amyloid
Other: Control
Postmenopausal women who don't start with hormonal therapy according to standard of care practice. At the first study visit blood will be taken and 6 (and 12) months after the start of the therapy blood will be taken for analysis. At the 2/3 study visits the patient will be asked to complete the questionaires (TANGO-SF, ICIQ, Cohen, Pittsburgh sleep quality). Only at the first study visit an MMSE test will be taken, to make sure the patient has no dementia.
Procedure: blood take
Blood is taken to analyse degradation products of the metabolism of amyloid

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
Measure Description
Time Frame
Degradation products of the Amyloid metabolism in blood
Time Frame: 2 years after the first patient was included, the first batch of samples will be analysed.
The influence of hormone treatment (menopause) and anti-hormone treatment (breastcancer) on the amyloid metabolism and the development of Alzheimer will be evaluated. Different laboratory analysis will be performed to evaluate the degradation products of the metabolism of amyloid in blood. Different parts of the degradation products will be analysed namely: Plasma total-tau
2 years after the first patient was included, the first batch of samples will be analysed.
Degradation products of the Amyloid metabolism in blood
Time Frame: 2 years after the first patient was included, the first batch of samples will be analysed.
The influence of hormone treatment (menopause) and anti-hormone treatment (breastcancer) on the amyloid metabolism and the development of Alzheimer will be evaluated. Different laboratory analysis will be performed to evaluate the degradation products of the metabolism of amyloid in blood. Different parts of the degradation products will be analysed namely: Nurofilament light chain
2 years after the first patient was included, the first batch of samples will be analysed.
Degradation products of the Amyloid metabolism in blood
Time Frame: 2 years after the first patient was included, the first batch of samples will be analysed.
The influence of hormone treatment (menopause) and anti-hormone treatment (breastcancer) on the amyloid metabolism and the development of Alzheimer will be evaluated. Different laboratory analysis will be performed to evaluate the degradation products of the metabolism of amyloid in blood. Different parts of the degradation products will be analysed namely: Abeta1-40
2 years after the first patient was included, the first batch of samples will be analysed.
Degradation products of the Amyloid metabolism in blood
Time Frame: 2 years after the first patient was included, the first batch of samples will be analysed.
The influence of hormone treatment (menopause) and anti-hormone treatment (breastcancer) on the amyloid metabolism and the development of Alzheimer will be evaluated. Different laboratory analysis will be performed to evaluate the degradation products of the metabolism of amyloid in blood. Different parts of the degradation products will be analysed namely: Abeta1-42
2 years after the first patient was included, the first batch of samples will be analysed.
Degradation products of the Amyloid metabolism in blood
Time Frame: 2 years after the first patient was included, the first batch of samples will be analysed.
The influence of hormone treatment (menopause) and anti-hormone treatment (breastcancer) on the amyloid metabolism and the development of Alzheimer will be evaluated. Different laboratory analysis will be performed to evaluate the degradation products of the metabolism of amyloid in blood. Different parts of the degradation products will be analysed namely: YKL-40
2 years after the first patient was included, the first batch of samples will be analysed.
Degradation products of the Amyloid metabolism in blood
Time Frame: 2 years after the first patient was included, the first batch of samples will be analysed.
The influence of hormone treatment (menopause) and anti-hormone treatment (breastcancer) on the amyloid metabolism and the development of Alzheimer will be evaluated. Different laboratory analysis will be performed to evaluate the degradation products of the metabolism of amyloid in blood. Different parts of the degradation products will be analysed namely: Neurogranin
2 years after the first patient was included, the first batch of samples will be analysed.
APOE-genotyping in blood
Time Frame: 2 years after the first patient was included, the first batch of samples will be analysed.
The influence of hormone treatment (menopause) and anti-hormone treatment (breastcancer) on the amyloid metabolism and the development of Alzheimer will be evaluated. APOE-genotyping will be performed
2 years after the first patient was included, the first batch of samples will be analysed.
identify BACE1 in blood
Time Frame: 2 years after the first patient was included, the first batch of samples will be analysed.
The influence of hormone treatment (menopause) and anti-hormone treatment (breastcancer) on the amyloid metabolism and the development of Alzheimer will be evaluated. BACE1 will also be identified in the blood.
2 years after the first patient was included, the first batch of samples will be analysed.

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.
University Hospital, Ghent

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: Herman Depypere, MD, University Hospital, Ghent

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.
April 17, 2018

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
December 31, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
December 31, 2028

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).
January 8, 2020

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.
March 17, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

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.
March 18, 2020

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.
March 25, 2025

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.
January 22, 2025

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.
January 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

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.
  • EC/2018/0315

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

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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