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CompletedNCT03330600Updated May 7, 2019

Efficacy of Aquatic Physiotherapy in Children With Microcephaly by Zika Virus Congenital Syndrome

An interventional study of aquatic physicotherapy and immersion in Zika Virus Infection and Microcephaly, sponsored by Universidade Federal de Pernambuco. Completed at 1 site in Brazil. Open to participants aged 3 Months to 24 Months. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2019-05-07.

Sponsored by Universidade Federal de Pernambuco · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Registered 4 months after the study started (first participant enrolled Jun 2017, registered Oct 2017).
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
12
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
3 Months to 24 Months
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Microcephaly associated with Congenital Syndrome of the Zika virus (SCVZ) was highlighted due to atypical structural and behavioral changes of the central nervous system. Such changes contribute to the appearance of functional impairments and difficulties of adaptation of the child to the necessary therapeutic follow-up. In this context, the search for adjuvant therapies that allow better management of these alterations has grown and, given its advantages, aquatic physiotherapy may be an auxiliary resource in the care of this population. The aquatic environment is capable of promoting a state of relaxation that, when associated with a kinesiotherapy protocol, is believed to have this potentiated effect. Thus, our objective will be to evaluate the efficacy of aquatic physiotherapy on the level of stress and muscle tone in children with microcephaly associated with SCVZ. A crossover, randomized, controlled and blind study will be carried out with children between 3 and 24 months of age, who will undergo two interventions: aquatic physiotherapy and water immersion. The evaluation of muscle tone will be performed through the Tardieu scale before and after the intervention; the physiological parameters (heart and respiratory rate, oxygen saturation and temperature) and the stress level will be evaluated before, immediately after and 30 minutes after the intervention. In addition, questionnaires will assess the child's behavioral state, level of irritation and sleep characteristics. For data normalization the Shapiro Wilk Test will be applied; the percentage values and relative frequency will be used for the descriptive analysis and for the numerical variables the values of mean and standard deviation or median and interquartile range. The paired T and ANOVA tests for repeated samples will be applied, which will analyze the intra-group time factor for the dependent variables of each individual. And for intergroup analysis, the variables may be submitted to the T-Test for independent or Mann-Whitney samples.

Read the detailed description

A randomized, controlled, blind crossover study will be conducted at the Laboratory of Pediatric Studies (LEPED) located in the Physiotherapy Department of the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), from January 2017 to November 2017. The study will be composed infants diagnosed with microcephaly associated with Zika virus Syndrome of the state of Pernambuco (PE), recruited for convenience of both sexes, aged 3 to 24 months of life.

Initially randomization of these children will be performed through randomization.com. and allocation in two groups (experimental and control) for the first session. After a period of one week (washout period), the groups are reversed so that everyone receives both interventions. Children in the experimental group will be submitted to a session of aquatic physiotherapy and the group control the immersion in water, described later. The study will be composed of two main researchers, the researcher 1 responsible for the intervention and the researcher 2 responsible for the evaluations, who will be blind to the intervention.

The collection of the clinical and sociodemographic data of the responsible person and the child will be done through the evaluation form developed for the research. Before the intervention, the child and the caregiver will be accommodated in a room with temperature, luminosity and controlled noises so that they can rest and thus minimize the effects of the route to the place of data collection. The evaluation begins with the assessment of muscle tone of the upper limbs and lower limbs, physiological parameters, postaral evaluation and application of questionnaires about maternal perception about the behavior of the and the level of stress. Immediately after the intervention will be reassessed muscle tone, physiological parameters and applied a questionnaire of maternal satisfaction about the therapy applied and perception of stress level.

02

Conditions studied

  • Zika Virus Infection
  • Microcephaly
03

In context

Zika Virus Infection

78 studies on the registry are indexed under Zika Virus Infection; 8 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 12 is below the median of 120 across 43 interventional studies indexed under Zika Virus Infection.

Browse Zika Virus Infection studies →

Lead sponsor

Universidade Federal de Pernambuco is the lead sponsor of 166 studies on the registry; 22 are open to participants now.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
3 Months to 24 Months
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Infants aged 3 to 24 months, diagnosed with microcephaly according to the recommendations of the Surveillance Protocol and response to the occurrence of microcephaly and / or CNS disorders, which considers head circumference less than or equal to 31.5 cm for term boys and 31.9 cm for full term girls. In cases of prematurity, the perimeter will be considered less than 2 or more standard deviations according to the Intergrowth table for gestational age and sex. Mothers should report presence of skin rash or confirmation of Zika virus infection during pregnancy.
  • Only children who are accompanied by a neurologist and assisted by physical therapy at least once a week will be included.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Children who are not taking anticonvulsant and / or antireflux medication when in the presence of seizures and gastroesophageal reflux, respectively;
  • Infants who have less than 3 months of botulinum toxin application;
  • Infants with osteomioarticular disorders, such as arthrogryposis, or other situations that impede the performance of evaluations and intervention;
  • Children who are already active in the aquatic environment (hot tub or hydrotherapy).
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Crossover assignment
Masking
Triple (Participant, Care provider, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
12 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    aquatic physicotherapy group

    For the experimental group, we will associate kinesiotherapy with immersion in water.

    Behavioral: aquatic physicotherapy · Behavioral: immersion

  • Placebo comparator
    immersion group

    The control group will be submitted to immersion in the water, contained in flexion with the towel and maintaining the same care as the experimental one.

    Behavioral: aquatic physicotherapy · Behavioral: immersion

Interventions

  • Behavioralaquatic physicotherapy

    Aquatic physiotherapy will be performed in a bathtub with water heated to a temperature around 37º C and environment with adequate temperature and luminosity. Kinesiotherapy will begin with smooth sliding movements in the aquatic environment, still in flexor restraint, allowing the child to adapt to the temperature of the new environment; joint mobilizations will be initiated on the shoulders and hips followed by stretching of the accessory muscles of the breath, spine erector, flexor and extensors of shoulder, elbow, hip, knee and ankle. The sessions will last 10 minutes and may be interrupted if the child shows signs of discomfort such as cyanosis, increased respiratory rate, bronchoaspiration or does not adapt to the environment, ie, remain crying for more than 5 minutes.

    Also known as: hydrotherapy

  • Behavioralimmersion

    The immersion will be performed in a bathtub with water heated to a temperature around 37º C and environment with adequate temperature and luminosity. The therapy will begin with smooth sliding movements in the aquatic environment, still in flexor restraint, allowing the child to adapt to the temperature of the new environment. The sessions will last 10 minutes and may be interrupted if the child shows signs of discomfort such as cyanosis, increased respiratory rate, bronchoaspiration or does not adapt to the environment, ie, remain crying for more than 5 minutes.

    Also known as: hydrotherapy

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. change in Modified Tardieu Scale

    assessment muscle tone at 5 degrees (0 = no resistance, 1 = slight resistance, no specific angle, 2 = moderate resistance with specific reaction angle, 3 = light clone, for less than 10 seconds, 4 = clusions for more than 10 seconds, 5 = immobile articulation). In addition to measuring the increase or decrease in the range of motion of each joint.

    Time frame: baseline and up 30 minutes

Secondary outcomes

  1. change in heart rate

    rate of the heart's beat, recorded as the number of beats per minute.

    Time frame: baseline and up 30 minutes

  2. change in respiratory frequency

    The number of breaths per minute.

    Time frame: baseline and up 30 minutes

  3. change in oxygen saturation

    the fraction of the hemoglobin molecules in a blood sample that are saturated with oxygen at a given partial pressure of oxygen. Normal saturation is 95% to 100%.

    Time frame: baseline and up 30 minutes

  4. change in body temperature

    the degree of sensible heat or cold, expressed in terms of Celsius

    Time frame: baseline and up 30 minutes

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Universidade Federal de Pernambuco
    Recife, Pernambuco 50.740-545, Brazil
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on May 7, 2019, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03330600
Responsible party
Milena Guimarães Monteiro (Principal investigator, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco) — Principal investigator
First posted
Nov 6, 2017
Start date
Jun 1, 2017
Primary completion
Feb 18, 2018
Completion
Oct 30, 2018
Last update
May 7, 2019

Study contacts

Karla Mônica Ferraz Lambertz
study chair · Universidade Federal de Pernambuco

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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