Clinical Trial: Test Predicting Adrenal Insufficiency in Volunteers Under Prednisone Treatment

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

Official Title: Dexamethasone-suppression-test Predicts Later Development of Adrenal Insufficiency After a 14 Days' Course of Prednisone in Healthy Volunteers

Brief Summary: Suppression of the adrenal function is a common, potentially dangerous and unpredictable consequence of short term high dose glucocorticoid treatment. Identification of patients at risk would be of high clinical importance. The investigators hypothesized that the dexamethasone-suppression-test predicts the subsequent development of corticosteroid induced adrenal insufficiency.

Detailed Summary: The objective of this study is to evaluate if adrenal axis integrity investigated by the dexamethasone-suppression-test will predict the development of adrenal insufficiency after 14 days treatment with 0.5mg/kg of body weight prednisone in healthy volunteers. The investigators hypothesize that subjects with a more suppressed cortisol level after dexamethasone will be more likely to develop adrenal insufficiency after 14 days intake of prednisone o.5mg/kg/body weight than subjects with less suppression of their cortisol levels after dexamethasone.
Sponsor: University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland

Current Primary Outcome: The primary outcome of this study is the rate of adrenal insufficiency assessed on the 7th day after stopping a 14-days course of corticosteroid therapy with 0.5mg/kg KG prednisone per day. [ Time Frame: 7th day after stopping prednisone intake ]

Original Primary Outcome: Same as current

Current Secondary Outcome:

Original Secondary Outcome:

Information By: University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland

Dates:
Date Received: September 7, 2009
Date Started: May 2009
Date Completion:
Last Updated: August 8, 2011
Last Verified: August 2011