Evaluation of DHA for the Treatment of PSC

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2012-05-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

The researches aim to study the effects of DHA (component of fish oil) on patients with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC). Our hypothesis is that DHA might reverse the problems associated with PSC.

• Phase: Phase 1
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
• Collaborator: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

Patients must have a diagnosis of primary sclerosing cholangitis. The diagnosis will require a chronic cholestatic liver disease of at least 6 months' duration; a serum alkaline phosphatase level at least 1.5 times the upper limit of normal; cholangiographic findings of intrahepatic or extrahepatic biliary-duct obstruction, beading, or narrowing consistent with PSC; and a liver biopsy in the previous 12 months with compatible findings.

Exclusion Criteria:

Age less than18 years or more than 80 years. Subjects must have no evidence of secondary cholangitis or other liver disease (primary biliary cirrhosis, alcoholic liver disease, autoimmune hepatitis, and chronic viral hepatitis). Subjects will be excluded if there is a history of previous bile duct surgery, previous choledocholithiasis, recurrent ascending cholangitis, previous history of variceal hemorrhage, or cholangiocarcinoma. Subjects with PSC stage III (fibrosis) or IV (cirrhosis) based on the criteria of Ludwig et al. will be excluded.

Participants will be excluded if there are pregnant.

Subjects will also be excluded if treatment with corticosteroids, cyclosporine or methotrexate has occurred within the preceding 3 months, or there is an anticipated need for liver transplantation within 1 year. No fish oil supplements will otherwise be allowed. Patients on 5-aminosalicylate preparations or azathioprine will remain on these preparations for the duration of the trial. Treatment with ursodeoxycholic acid will not be an exclusion criteria. Patients on this therapy will be advised to continue the drug throughout the trial. Those not on ursodeoxycholic acid will not be allowed to start this drug since it is could affect the alkaline phosphatase levels and is not an accepted efficacious therapy. Subjects will not be excluded for refusal of follow-up MRCP at study completion. There will be no exclusion based on sex, race, and ethnic background.