Trial of Oral Glutamine in Patients With Sickle Cell Anemia
Status:
Terminated
Trial end date:
2009-04-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Children with sickle cell anemia (SCA) seem to have higher energy needs than children who do
not have the disease. This may be the reason why children and teenagers with sickle cell
anemia tend to be smaller, weigh less, and have less fat and muscle than children and teens
that do not have the disease.
This study is being done to find out if giving a supplement called glutamine will help
children with sickle cell anemia by lowering their energy needs and improving their growth
and strength. Children will be randomly assigned (like a flip of a coin) to one of two
groups. One group will take glutamine and one group will take a placebo (a protein mixture
that looks like glutamine but may not have the same effect in the body). No one will know
which group is taking which supplement until the study has been completed. Children will be
in the study for 12 months.