Sickle Cell Pain: Intervention With Capsaicin Exposure

Completed · Phase 1

Conditions studied: Neuropathic Pain, Sickle Cell Disease

In brief

This study evaluates the safety and feasibility of using high dose topical capsaicin patches for the treatment of neuropathic pain in pediatric patients with sickle cell disease, as well as the feasibility of using a number of tests for the evaluation and monitoring of neuropathic pain. The hypothesis, based on evidence obtained from studies in adults with neuropathic pain related to other diseases as well as a single previously published study of capsaicin in pediatric patients, is that capsaicin will be well tolerated in this population. Additionally, it is hypothesized that it is feasible to monitor changes in neuropathic pain via the testing listed below.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT03899246

Run by

Children's Hospital of Michigan

People needed

10

Starts

2019-07-03

Expected to finish

2020-03-30

Last updated by the study team

2020-07-29

Who can join

Age: 14 and older, up to 21. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• A diagnosis of either Sickle Cell Disease with genotype SS or S Beta-zero, or SC disease.
• Must have recurrent sites of pain, where majority of acute pain episodes are localized
• Subjects are willing and able to comply with scheduled visits, treatment plan, laboratory tests, pain assessments, and other study procedures.
• Subjects who are being treated with hydroxyurea (HU) must have been on a stable dose for at least 8 weeks prior to Visit 1 (Day 0), with the intent of remaining on the same dose of hydroxyurea throughout the clinical trial including the protocol-specified follow-up period unless adjustments are medically necessary due to bone marrow suppression.
• At least 80% compliance (defined as logging pain at least once daily) with mobile application use during 14-day lead in period from time of enrollment to time of first capsaicin application.

You may not qualify if…

• Age less than 14 or greater than 21
• History of major surgery within the past 3 months.
• Patients receiving scheduled chronic partial exchange transfusions as part of their sickle cell disease management protocol.
• Concurrently taking another medication used in the treatment of neuropathic pain or with the potential to affect the peripheral nervous system (e.g. gabapentin, anti-epileptics, antidepressants, systemic alpha or beta adrenergic receptor blockers)
• Use of another topical analgesic at home in the treatment of pain episodes such as topical lidocaine, diclofenac, or menthol (must discontinue use at the time of enrollment).
• Recurrent pain secondary to an underlying condition other than vaso-occlusive pain (avascular necrosis, scoliosis, fracture, etc.)
• Patients lacking the mental capacity to assent to the study
• Patients with another chronic inflammatory/immune disorder that could skew the inflammatory markers listed above.
• Pregnant females
• Expectation that the subject will not be able to be followed for the duration of the study
• Active use of illicit drugs and/or alcohol dependence, as determined by the investigator. Opioid use beyond the amount necessary for pain related to the underlying sickle cell disease as determined by the investigator.
• Subjects who are investigational site staff members directly involved in the conduct of the study and their family members, site staff members otherwise supervised by the investigator.

Where it is running

• Children's Hospital of Michigan — Detroit, Michigan, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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