A Trial of Tap Water Treatment in the Elderly
Completed · Not applicable
Conditions studied: Diarrhea, Gastrointestinal Diseases
In brief
This study is being conducted in Sonoma County, California. Gastrointestinal illness and diarrhea are recognized as a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly. One study showed that 51% of deaths caused by diarrhea over a 9-year period occurred in individuals over the age of 74 years. Although many infectious diseases are more problematic in the elderly because of a decline in immune function and a higher incidence of pre-existing malnutrition and dehydration, it is still not known what the principal modes of transmission are and which infectious agents are responsible. The principal objective of this study is to evaluate the ability of in-home treatment of tapwater to reduce gastrointestinal illness in non-institutionalized elderly individuals. The trial will test household-level treatment of drinking water by joint use of ultraviolet light and filtration devices. A secondary objective is an estimate of the incidence of specific bacterial, viral, and protozoan agents in stool specimens collected from elderly individuals with gastrointestinal symptoms that might be related to water consumption.
Key facts
- Study ID
- NCT00058942
- Run by
- National Institute on Aging (NIA)
- People needed
- 810
- Starts
- 2000-01-01
- Expected to finish
- 2006-11-01
- Last updated by the study team
- 2009-12-11
Who can join
Age: 55 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.
You may qualify if…
- 55 years or older
- primary source of drinking water used at home is supplied by Sonoma County Water Agency without use of home filtration device or bottled water
- all individuals living in the home must sign informed consent and agree to have the water treatment device installed
- no known immunocompromising conditions (including HIV/AIDS, active cancer, or transplant recipients).
You may not qualify if…
- persons with immunocompromising condition (including HIV/AIDS, active cancer, or transplant recipients)
- employees and family members of the Sonoma County Water Agency or a Sonoma County Water District
Where it is running
- University of California Berkeley — Berkeley, California, United States
Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov
Trial information comes from ClinicalTrials.gov and is refreshed daily. TrialsForMe does not provide medical care and does not run the studies it lists.