Clinical Trial: The Role of Vitamin D in Chronic Urticaria and Angioedema Treatment

Study Status: Completed
Recruit Status: Completed
Study Type: Interventional

Official Title: The Role of Vitamin D in Chronic Urticaria and Angioedema Treatment

Brief Summary:

This clinical study was designed based on our hypothesis that vitamin D plays an important role in chronic urticaria and that high dose supplementation with vitamin D in subjects with chronic urticaria will improve clinical response.

This clinical study will investigate our hypothesis in three Specific Aims:

  1. Determine whether high dosing vitamin D supplementation (4000 IU/day) reduces medication usage (primary outcome) and urticaria severity score (secondary outcome) in subjects with chronic urticaria as compared to low dosing (600 IU/day).
  2. Determine if high dosing of vitamin D (4000 IU/day) is safe and well-tolerated in subjects with chronic urticaria with or without baseline vitamin D deficiency.
  3. Investigate whether there is an association with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, vitamin D receptor mRNA expression, and chronic urticaria severity.

Detailed Summary:

The purpose of this pilot, 12 week, clinical research study is to determine if supplementation with Vitamin D will improve the clinical outcome in subjects with chronic urticaria and angioedema (CUA). Vitamin D is a key element in the regulation of immune system responses, and vitamin D could play an important role in the treatment of CUA. Recently, we published that there is an important association with CUA and serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25OHD). Namely, vitamin D levels in subjects with CUA were significantly lower as compared to subjects with an alternative allergic disorder, allergic rhinitis. There is now one other observational report that supplementation with vitamin D (50,000/wk) in subjects CUA resulted in clinical improvement; however, there was only one treatment arm and optimal serum 25OHD required to obtain benefit was not investigated.

This current study is a double-blinded, prospective, interventional study that seeks to recruit adult subjects with physician-diagnosed CUA and randomize subjects to either the recommended dietary allowance (Vitamin D 600 IU/day) or the recommended upper limit of intake (Vitamin D 4000 IU/day). Subjects will answer a questionnaire to collect information regarding demographics, previous diagnostic tests, medications, and complete an urticaria severity score (USS). Information from the medical record: weight, height, body mass index (BMI), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine (T4), thyroid autoantibodies, urticaria autoimmune testing (CD203c results), anti-nuclear antibody (ANA), urinalysis, and allergy skin prick testing, which are part of the CUA evaluation will be obtained. Subjects will have research blood draws for serum 25OHD level, iPTH, calcium, phosphorus, albumin, urine calcium, and vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene expression. All subjects will receive standard-of-care therapy according to the 2009 Third Int
Sponsor: University of Nebraska

Current Primary Outcome: Medication Usage [ Time Frame: 12 week intervention ]

The Unit of Measure is Efficacy. The primary outcome of this study is to determine if vitamin D supplementation reduces the medication usage in subjects with CUA. Thus, for the outcome of reduction in pills, at 12 weeks, subjects whose pill usage decreases by 2 or more pills per day will be classified as improved. Subjects whose pill consumption did not change or increased will be classified as unchanged.


Original Primary Outcome: Reduction in medication usage [ Time Frame: 12 week intervention ]

The Unit of Measure is Efficacy. The primary outcome of this study is to determine if vitamin D supplementation reduces the medication usage in subjects with CUA. Thus, for the outcome of reduction in pills, at 12 weeks, subjects whose pill usage decreases by 2 or more pills per day will be classified as improved. Subjects whose pill consumption did not change or increased will be classified as unchanged.


Current Secondary Outcome:

  • Total Urticaria Severity Score at 3 Months [ Time Frame: 3 month intervention ]
    The Unit of Measure is Efficacy. The Total Urticaria Severity Score (USS) ranges from 0 to 93, higher scores = worse symptoms. This secondary outcome of this study is to determine if high dose vitamin D supplementation improves the urticaria severity score (USS). The change in USS will be compared between the groups using the independent sample t-test (assuming the distribution is normal). Logistic regression and multiple linear regression will be used to adjust for possible confounders.
  • Number of Participants With Adverse Events [ Time Frame: 3 month study trial ]
    Unit of Measure is Safety and Tolerability. The number of participants with adverse events will be compared between the groups using the independent sample t-test (assuming the distribution is normal).


Original Secondary Outcome:

  • Change in Urticaria Severity Score [ Time Frame: 3 month intervention ]
    The Unit of Measure is Efficacy. The secondary outcome of this study is to determine if high dose vitamin D supplementation improves the urticaria severity score (USS). The change in USS will be compared between the groups using the independent sample t-test (assuming the distribution is normal). Logistic regression and multiple linear regression will be used to adjust for possible confounders.
  • Number of Participants With Adverse Events [ Time Frame: 3 month study trial ]
    Unit of Measure is Safety and Tolerability. The number of participants with adverse events will be compared between the groups using the independent sample t-test (assuming the distribution is normal).


Information By: University of Nebraska

Dates:
Date Received: June 1, 2011
Date Started: November 2011
Date Completion:
Last Updated: December 12, 2014
Last Verified: December 2014