Effect of Ranitidine on Hyper-IgE Recurrent Infection (Job's) Syndrome

A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Cross-Over Study Assessing the Role of Pathogen-Specific IgE and Histamine Release in the Hyper-IgE Syndrome and the Effect of Ranitidine on Laboratory and Clinical Manifestations

This study will examine the safety and effectiveness of ranitidine (Zantac) in patients with Hyper-IgE recurrent infection syndrome, a disease characterized by recurrent infections of the ears, sinuses, lungs and skin, and abnormal levels of the antibody immunoglobulin E (IgE).

Patients age 2 and older who have Hyper-IgE recurrent infection syndrome and who have had chronic or frequent infections in the last 12 months may be eligible for this study.

Participants are randomly assigned to take ranitidine or placebo in pill or liquid form twice a day for 12 months. In addition to treatment, patients undergo the following procedures during visits scheduled on day 0 of the study (baseline) and at 3, 12, 15 and 24 months. Evaluations at 6, 9, 18 and 21 months are by telephone.

• Medical history and physical examination - baseline and 3 and 24 months.
• Clinical severity score - baseline and 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21 and 24 months.
• Dermatology exam - baseline and 3, 12, 15 and 24 months.
• Pulmonary function test - baseline and 12 and 24 months.
• Chest CT - baseline and 12 and 24 months.
• Quality of life assessment - baseline and 3, 12, 15 and 24 months.
• Pregnancy testing - baseline and 3, 12, 15 and 24 months.
• HIV test - baseline and 12 and 24 months.
• Contraception evaluation - baseline and 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21 and 24 months.
• Missed school/work days assessment - baseline and 3, 12, 15 and 24 months.
• Medication adherence - baseline and 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21 and 24 months.

In addition to the above procedures, participants who are not enrolled in study 00-I-0159 have a baseline scoliosis series and genetic consult.

Study Overview

• Status: Terminated
• Conditions: Immune Deficiency; JOB's Syndrome; Hyper-IgE Recurrent Infection Syndrome
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Placebo; Drug: Ranitidine

Detailed Description

Hyper-immunoglobulin E (IgE) syndrome (HIES) is a rare primary immunodeficiency characterized by eczema, recurrent skin and lung infections, elevated serum IgE, and multiple connective tissue and skeletal abnormalities. The autosomal dominant form of HIES is caused primarily by a mutation in the STAT3 gene. Patients with HIES produce IgE antibodies specific for Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus, two of the common pathogens in this population. We hypothesize that the presence of pathogen-specific IgE, combined with continuous exposure to these ubiquitous agents, leads to chronic IgE-mediated histamine release from basophils and mast cells, with subsequent pathogen-specific immune tolerance and an increase in pathogen-specific T regulatory cells. We plan to test this hypothesis through clinical and immunologic evaluation of HIES patients before, during, and after histamine-2 receptor (H2) blocker therapy with ranitidine through a prospective, placebo-controlled crossover study. We chose this therapy because histamine has been shown to stimulate interleukin-10 (IL-10), a major down regulatory cytokine, through the H2 receptor, and clinical improvement has been observed in several patients treated with H2 blockers. Laboratory studies will include determinations of pathogen-specific immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4):IgE ratios, basophil activation, IL-10 producing regulatory T-cells, cellular proliferative responses to staphylococcal and candidal antigens, and functional testing of regulatory T-cells. Clinical evaluations will include comprehensive history and physical examination, dermatologic evaluation, genetic evaluation for clinical severity scoring of HIES, pulmonary function tests, and chest computerized tomography (CT) examination. Through this study, we will further our understanding of the immunologic abnormalities of HIES and determine whether a larger prospective, double-blind trial of H2 blockade as adjunctive therapy for HIES is indicated.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 16
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Maryland
    • Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20892
      • National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 2 years and older (Child, Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

• INCLUSION CRITERIA:

  1. Male and female patients with the diagnosis of Hyper IgE Recurrent Infection (Job) syndrome. Mutations in the STAT3 gene account for the majority, if not all cases of HIES. However as the full genetics of HIES remains unknown, we will use clinical criteria, including the expert opinion of the investigators, as well as a score greater than 40 by the diagnostic scoring system used in protocol 00-I-0159.
  2. A chronic (greater than 4 weeks duration) infection or greater than 2 acute infections within the last 12 months. Acute infections can include but are not limited to: pneumonia, abscesses, sinusitis, skin infections, mucocutaneous candidiasis and ear infections. Chronic infections include continuous or intermittent symptoms despite appropriate therapeutic interventions for at least 4 weeks, including but not limited to chronic lung infiltrates with productive cough, chronic ear drainage despite topical therapy, chronic or intermittent drainage from a single abscess site, and/or chronic signs of sinusitis on sinus CT scan.
  3. Patients aged 2 years and above. There is no upper age limit. We are excluding children less than 2 years of age, as we do not expect them to meet the first inclusion criterion, having a score high enough to be diagnosed with HIES.
  4. Patients have to be at their own personal clinical baseline for at least 2 weeks duration. Patients will not start the study medication during an acute exacerbation of and infection.
  5. The patient or the patient's guardian will be willing and capable of providing informed consent after initial counseling by clinical staff. Separate consent forms for all interventional procedures will be obtained after explanation of the specific procedure.
  6. Patients must agree to have blood stored for future studies of the immune system and/or other medical conditions.
  7. Women of childbearing potential must agree to use adequate contraception (hormonal or barrier method of birth control; abstinence) prior to study entry and for the duration of study participation.
  8. Patients may be concurrently enrolled on other protocols as long as the Principal Investigator (PI) is informed.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

1. Pregnancy. Ranitidine is pregnancy class B, and likely safe in pregnancy, but as this has not been studied, pregnant patients will be excluded. In addition, hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy may affect the skin manifestations and frequency of infection.
2. Hypersensitivity to ranitidine or any of the ingredients in ranitidine.
3. Pre-existing medications or conditions for which the investigators judge that ranitidine should not be given.
4. Patient or investigators unwilling to stop baseline H2 receptor antagonist therapy (over the counter or prescription) such as Tagamet (Cimetidine), Pepcid (Famotidine), and Axid (Nizatidine). H2 receptor antagonist therapy must be stopped for 3 months prior to study initiation. Patients who are receiving H2 receptor antagonist therapy for gastritis, acid reflux, or peptic ulcer disease will be offered changing their regimen to a proton pump inhibitor or other non-H2 receptor antagonist therapy to allow for study enrollment (3 months after stopping the H2 receptor antagonist).
5. Patients under the age of 2 years
6. Patients with HIV, receiving chemotherapy or who have a malignancy.
7. Any condition that in the judgment of the investigator would place the subject at undue risk or compromise the results or interpretation of the study.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: Quadruple

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Placebo/Ranitidine crossover; Patients took placebo for 12 months and then ranitidine for 12 months	Drug: Placebo; Drug: Ranitidine; Double blinded, randomized placebo controlled crossover study. Patients received 12 months of placebo and 12 months of treatment medication (ranitidine).
Experimental: Ranitidine/placebo crossover; Ranitidine for one year followed by placebo for one year	Drug: Placebo; Drug: Ranitidine; Double blinded, randomized placebo controlled crossover study. Patients received 12 months of placebo and 12 months of treatment medication (ranitidine).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of Infections in Subjects With HIES.	Patients received one year of treatment medication and one year of placebo. New infections (bacterial, fungal, viral or parasitic) were defined as those requiring an addition or change of an antimicrobial (including topical, oral or intravenous therapies) or those requiring a medical procedure (i.e., incision and drainage of a skin abscess, warm soaks to aid abscess drainage or sinus drainage).	1 year on intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
New Skin Infections	Patients reported the number of new skin infections	12 months placebo/12 months ranitidine
New Lung Infections	Number of new infection while on placebo or study drug	12 months placebo and 12 months ranitidine
Clinical Severity Score	Scoring that was completed every 3 months. Clinical severity scored had outcomes that could range from 0 to 121 with 0 being the least severe and 121 being the most severe.	one year on ranitidine and one year on placebo

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Grimbacher B, Holland SM, Gallin JI, Greenberg F, Hill SC, Malech HL, Miller JA, O'Connell AC, Puck JM. Hyper-IgE syndrome with recurrent infections--an autosomal dominant multisystem disorder. N Engl J Med. 1999 Mar 4;340(9):692-702. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199903043400904.
• Davis SD, Schaller J, Wedgwood RJ. Job's Syndrome. Recurrent, "cold", staphylococcal abscesses. Lancet. 1966 May 7;1(7445):1013-5. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(66)90119-x. No abstract available.
• Buckley RH, Wray BB, Belmaker EZ. Extreme hyperimmunoglobulinemia E and undue susceptibility to infection. Pediatrics. 1972 Jan;49(1):59-70. No abstract available.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: September 1, 2007
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 1, 2011
• Study Completion (Actual): June 1, 2011

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 8, 2007
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 8, 2007
• First Posted (Estimate): September 11, 2007

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): February 4, 2013
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 1, 2013
• Last Verified: February 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Immune Deficiency; Cross-Over Study; Job's Syndrome; Hyper-IgE Syndrome; Hyper-IgE Recurrent Infection Syndrome; Ranitidine Therapy; Double-Blind Placebo Controlled; Job Syndrome
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Immune System Diseases; Disease Attributes; Disease; Hematologic Diseases; Genetic Diseases, Inborn; Leukocyte Disorders; Phagocyte Bactericidal Dysfunction; Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases; Syndrome; Infections; Recurrence; Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes; Reinfection; Job Syndrome; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Neurotransmitter Agents; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Gastrointestinal Agents; Anti-Ulcer Agents; Histamine Antagonists; Histamine Agents; Histamine H2 Antagonists; Ranitidine; Ranitidine bismuth citrate
• Other Study ID Numbers: 070218; 07-I-0218