Corneal Confocal Microscopy in Patients With Type 1 Diabetes (CCM)

August 30, 2018 updated by: Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Assessing the use of corneal confocal microscopy to evaluate for early neuropathy changes in subjects with Type 1 Diabetes.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

Rationale: Poorly controlled diabetes mellitus is associated with microvascular complications, which includes peripheral neuropathy. Peripheral neuropathy associated with diabetes is a painful condition. Its diagnosis is hampered by painful and long nerve conduction studies which fail to diagnose small nerve neuropathy. It is important to study methods of noninvasive methods of early detection, which are sensitive and specific in diagnosing early neuropathy and we propose a novel study that this can be detected in the cornea of the eye.

Aims:

  • Estimate corneal small nerve fiber damage in young T1DM subjects (corneal fiber density, nerve branch density, and fiber length) and compare the results to healthy controls using corneal confocal microscopy (CCM).
  • Estimate corneal nerve fiber damage in subjects with diabetes, with peripheral neuropathy and subjects with diabetes without peripheral neuropathy, diagnosed by skin biopsies and nerve conduction studies
  • Obtain much needed normative values for CCM in adolescents and intraepidermal nerve fiber density from skin biopsies in subjects with type 1 diabetes.
  • As a secondary outcome measure, to compare serum biomarkers including leptin, TNF alpha, and fibrinogen in patients with diabetes in those with neuropathy Vs. without neuropathy.

Study Type

Interventional

Phase

  • Not Applicable

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

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 35 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion:

  • Subjects with diabetes:
  • 18-30 years (cohort 1), adolescents ages 13-17 years (cohort 2).
  • Type 1 Diabetes diagnosed via standard ADA criteria

Matched Controls:

  • Match for age and gender
  • Hemoglobin A1c <6.5%

Exclusion:

For all subjects:

  • Contact lens wearers
  • Diseases that could damage the cornea, other than diabetes.
  • Neurologic disease
  • Psychiatric disease
  • Amputation
  • Foot ulcers
  • Pain not of neuropathic origin.
  • Presence of Lupus, Sjogren's syndrome and Celiac disease
  • Hyperlipidemia requiring lipid-lowering medications
  • Peripheral vascular disease
  • Neuropathy due to anything besides diabetes
  • Presence of any medical condition that may affect nerve conduction (e.g., radiculopathy).

For healthy controls

  • Family history of Type 1 Diabetes

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

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Type 1 Diabetes
Subjects with known Type 1 diabetes
Confocal miscroscopy will be used to assess corneal nerve changes due to hyperglycemia.
Skin biopsy will be used to assess the appearance of nerve fibers in subjects with type 1 diabetes.
Nerve conduction studies will be use to assess for neuropathy.
Subjects will undergo a one time blood draw for biomarkers.
Placebo Comparator: Healthy Controls
Healthy controls
Confocal miscroscopy will be used to assess corneal nerve changes due to hyperglycemia.
Nerve conduction studies will be use to assess for neuropathy.
Subjects will undergo a one time blood draw for biomarkers.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Corneal small nerve fiber damage
Time Frame: Assessed one time per subject during study (study completed over 3 years)
Estimate corneal small nerve fiber damage in young T1DM subjects and compare the results to healthy controls using corneal confocal microscopy (CCM). This will be done by examining the cornea via confocal microscopy and obtaining images. These images will be evaluated looking at how many nerves there are, how they branch, and how long they are).
Assessed one time per subject during study (study completed over 3 years)
Normative values for corneal confocal microscopy (CCM)
Time Frame: Assessed one time per subject during study (study completed over 3 years)
Obtain much needed normative values for CCM in adolescents and intraepidermal nerve fiber density from skin biopsies in subjects with type 1 diabetes. This will be done by obtaining a small biopsy of skin and looking at the number of nerve fibers in the outer layer of the skin.
Assessed one time per subject during study (study completed over 3 years)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Serum biomarkers - leptin
Time Frame: Assessed one time per subject during study (study completed over 3 years)
Measuring serum biomarkers (blood levels) leptin. In participants with diabetes, comparing the blood level measurements of those with neuropathy vs. those without neuropathy.
Assessed one time per subject during study (study completed over 3 years)
Serum biomarkers - TNF Alpha
Time Frame: Assessed one time per subject during study (study completed over 3 years)
Measuring serum biomarkers (blood levels) Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) Alpha. In participants with diabetes, comparing the blood level measurements of those with neuropathy vs. those without neuropathy.
Assessed one time per subject during study (study completed over 3 years)
Serum biomarkers - fibrinogen
Time Frame: Assessed one time per subject during study (study completed over 3 years)
Measuring serum biomarkers (blood levels) fibrinogen. In participants with diabetes, comparing the blood level measurements of those with neuropathy vs. those without neuropathy.
Assessed one time per subject during study (study completed over 3 years)

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Lisa Underland, MD, Montefiore Medical Center at Albert Einstein College of Medicine

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 (Anticipated)

August 1, 2018

Primary Completion (Anticipated)

February 1, 2020

Study Completion (Anticipated)

February 1, 2020

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 13, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 3, 2017

First Posted (Estimate)

February 7, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

September 4, 2018

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 30, 2018

Last Verified

August 1, 2018

More Information

Terms related to this study

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

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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