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CompletedNCT00004357Updated Jul 22, 2011

Absorption of Corticosteroids in Children With Juvenile Dermatomyositis

A Phase 2 interventional study of Methylprednisolone and Prednisolone in Vasculitis, Hypersensitivity, Connective Tissue Diseases and Dermatomyositis, sponsored by Northwestern University. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 4 Years to 21 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2011-07-22.

Sponsored by Northwestern University · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
6
Allocation
Non-randomized
Ages
4 Years to 21 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) is a connective tissue disease that causes skin rash and weak muscles in children. The purpose of this study is to measure the absorption of oral prednisolone and intravenous (IV) methylprednisolone and to determine levels of disease activity indicators in the blood. These levels will be compared to see if there are patterns specific to active and less active JDM.

Read the detailed description

JDM is a connective tissue disease that is characterized by inflammation of the muscles and the skin. Corticosteroids, such as prednisolone and methylprednisolone, can be administered to help control symptoms of the disease, but absorption patterns of these medications in oral and IV forms are unknown. This study will assess absorption of oral prednisolone and IV methylprednisolone, measure levels of two disease activity indicators (von Willebrand factor and neopterin), and correlate these values in children with JDM.

Patients will participate in this study twice within a period of up to a year, once when the patient's disease is active, and again 6 to 12 months later when the disease is less active. Each of the two study periods will last two nights and two days. Patients will be admitted to the hospital the first night, and a small IV port will be inserted in the patient's arm the first morning to allow for multiple blood draws without additional needle sticks. Patients will receive oral prednisolone the first morning and IV methylprednisolone the second morning. Baseline blood draws will be performed prior to administration of drug, with 13 additional draws over a 6 hour period following drug administration. Following the final blood draw on the second day, the IV port will be removed from the patient's arm and the patient will be discharged from the hospital.

Blood drawn from patients will be assessed for absorption of the drugs and levels of von Willebrand factor and neopterin. Patients will undergo the same sequence of events sometime between 6 to 12 months after the first hospitalization, after their vasculitis is judged to be less active.

02

Conditions studied

  • Vasculitis, Hypersensitivity
  • Connective Tissue Diseases
  • Dermatomyositis
  • Vasculitis

Keywords

  • Cardiovascular Disease
  • Respiratory Disease
  • Rare Diseases
  • Vasculitis
03

In context

Dermatomyositis

171 studies on the registry are indexed under Dermatomyositis; 61 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 6 is below the median of 31 across 125 interventional studies indexed under Dermatomyositis.

Browse Dermatomyositis studies →

Lead sponsor

Northwestern University is the lead sponsor of 1,396 studies on the registry; 199 are open to participants now.

Of its 102 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 73 (72%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
4 Years to 21 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Juvenile dermatomyositis with evidence of active vasculitis
  • Elevated von Willebrand factor antigen prior to study entry
  • Elevated neopterin level prior to study entry

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Severe renal involvement
  • Critically ill or clinically unstable
  • Diseases other than dermatomyositis with vasculitis
05

Study design

Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Non-randomized
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
6 participants (actual)

Interventions

  • DrugMethylprednisolone

    IV

  • DrugPrednisolone

    Oral

06

Study locations

1 site
  • Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago
    Chicago, Illinois 60614, United States
07

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jul 22, 2011, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
08

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT00004357
Lead sponsor
Northwestern University
Collaborators
Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
First posted
Oct 19, 1999
Start date
Sep 1997
Primary completion
Dec 2005
Completion
Feb 2008
Last update
Jul 22, 2011

Study contacts

Lauren M. Pachman, MD
principal investigator · Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Jul 2011. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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