Investigating the Role of Early Intravenous Immunoglobulin Treatment for Children With Encephalitis

NCT ID: NCT02308982

Last Updated: 2024-03-04

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: PHASE3
• Total Enrollment: 18 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2016-01-31
• Study Completion Date: 2022-09-30

Brief Summary

This is a phase III multi-centre randomised, double blind, placebo controlled trial to assess the role of intravenous immunoglobulin in the treatment of children with encephalitis. The primary objective is to find out whether early use of IVIG treatment improves neurological outcomes of children with encephalitis.

308 children with encephalitis, aged 6 weeks to 16 years will be recruited in 30 hospitals in the United Kingdom. Participants will be randomised to receive two doses of IVIG or matching placebo in addition to other standard treatments, within the first five days of hospital admission.

Each participant will be followed up for 12 months. During this period, information on clinical, radiological and laboratory investigations will be collected. Neurological outcomes will be assessed by the use of questionnaires at 6 and 12 months, and a neuropsychological assessment at 12 months.

Detailed Description

Encephalitis is a syndrome of neurological dysfunction caused by inflammation of the brain parenchyma, resulting in altered mental status, seizures, and/or focal neurologic deficits, usually accompanied by laboratory and radiological evidence of brain inflammation. The worldwide annual incidence of encephalitis ranges from 3.5 to 7.4 per 100,000, rising to 16 per 100,000 in children. In the United Kingdom, Public Health England (formerly the Health Protection Agency) reports an annual rate of 1.5 cases per 100,000 in the general population and 2.8 per 100,000 in children, with the highest incidence in infants under 1 year of age of 8.7 per 100,000.

Despite the use of current standard treatments, mortality of 7-10% and morbidity of up to 50% are still being reported. Encephalitis also imposes a substantial economic and resource burden on healthcare services. Strategies to reduce the disability in patients with encephalitis are therefore required.

There is increasing evidence from case reports of a beneficial role of IVIG treatment in encephalitis. However, in clinical practice, the use of IVIG in encephalitis varies. The variation in practice is in most part due to a lack of class 1 evidence to support the use of IVIG in encephalitis. For the immune mediated forms of encephalitis, IVIG is typically used after inevitable delay (by weeks in some cases) while alternative diagnoses are being excluded, or a definitive diagnosis is obtained. In other cases, IVIG is used usually as a last treatment option where clinical improvement is slow. Again, this is usually after several days from hospital admission. Delays in the institution of appropriate treatment in encephalitis may contribute to the high rate of morbidity and mortality, prolonged hospitalisation and associated costs from encephalitis. In particular, it is currently unknown whether wider use of IVIG in infectious encephalitis and earlier use in immune-mediated encephalitis could alter the outcome of this group of conditions.

This study will fill in the evidence gap on the potential benefit of IVIG in reducing disease burden in children with encephalitis. The trial also aims to generate evidence to inform clinical decision making in the National Health Service (NHS) and provide added value to the NHS by addressing healthcare, quality of life and productivity costs of this expensive and resource limited product.

Conditions

Encephalitis

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: QUADRUPLE

Study Groups

Intravenous immunoglobulin

Intravenous immunoglobulin: 1g/kg per day for 2 consecutive days

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Immunoglobulins, Intravenous (Privigen)

Intervention Type: DRUG

Placebo

Equivalent volume to 1g/kg of IVIG per day for 2 consecutive days

Group Type: PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Placebo

Intervention Type: DRUG

Interventions

Immunoglobulins, Intravenous (Privigen)

Intervention Type: DRUG

Placebo

Intervention Type: DRUG

Other Intervention Names

Privigen

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

1. 6 weeks to 16 years of age (day before 17th birthday) AND

2. Acute (within 24 hours) or sub-acute (between 24 hours and 4 weeks) onset of altered mental state (reduced or altered conscious level, irritability, altered personality or behaviour, lethargy) not attributable to a metabolic cause AND

3. At least two of:

1. fever > 38 degrees Celsius within 72 hours before or after presentation to hospital

2. brain imaging evidence consistent with encephalitis or immune-mediated encephalopathy that is either new from prior studies or appears acute in onset

3. CSF pleocytosis > 4 white blood cells per microlitre

4. generalised or partial seizures not fully attributable to a pre-existing seizure disorder

5. new onset focal neurological signs (including movement disorders) for > 6 hours

6. abnormality on EEG that is consistent with encephalitis and not clearly attributable to another cause AND

4. Parent/guardian/legal representative able to give informed consent

Exclusion Criteria

• high clinical suspicion of bacterial meningitis or TB meningitis (for example: presence of frankly purulent CSF; CSF WBCs >1000/microlitre; bacteria on Gram stain and/or culture)
• Traumatic brain injury
• Known metabolic encephalopathy
• toxic encephalopathy (i.e. encephalopathy secondary to exposure to intoxicants, including alcohol, prescription or recreational drugs)
• hypertensive encephalopathy/posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome
• pre-existing demyelinating disorder; pre-existing antibody mediated CNS disorder; pre-existing CSF diversion
• ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke
• children with a contra-indication to IVIG or albumin (i.e. history of anaphylactic reaction to IVIG or albumin, known IgA deficiency and history of hypersensitisation)
• Known hypercoagulable state
• significant renal impairment defined as GFR of 29mls/min/1.73m2 and below (Chronic Kidney Disease Stage 4)
• Known hyperprolinaemia
• Known to be pregnant
• Any other significant disease or disorder which, in the opinion of the Investigator, may either put the participants at risk because of participation in the trial, or may influence the result of the trial, or the participant's ability to participate in the trial
• participants who are being actively followed up in another research trial involving an investigational medicinal product
• Administration of study drug not feasible within 120 hours from hospital admission as determined by the study team
• Any other condition which, in the opinion of the investigator, may interfere with the ability to fulfil study requirements, especially relating to the primary objective of the study (this includes plans to be outside the UK for more than 12 months after enrolment)

• Minimum Eligible Age: 6 Weeks
• Maximum Eligible Age: 16 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

National Institute for Health Research, United Kingdom

OTHER_GOV

Sponsor Role: collaborator

CSL Behring

INDUSTRY

Sponsor Role: collaborator

University of Liverpool

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

University College London Hospitals

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

OTHER_GOV

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

University of Oxford

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Andrew J Pollard, FRCPCH, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Oxford

Locations

Grampian Health Board

Aberdeen, , United Kingdom

Birmingham Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Birmingham, , United Kingdom

Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust

Birmingham, , United Kingdom

University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust

Bristol, , United Kingdom

Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Cambridge, , United Kingdom

Tayside Health Board

Dundee, , United Kingdom

Lothian Health Board

Edinburgh, , United Kingdom

Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust

Hull, , United Kingdom

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Leeds, , United Kingdom

Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust

Liverpool, , United Kingdom

Guy's and St Thomas's NHS Foundation Trust

London, , United Kingdom

Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

London, , United Kingdom

Great Ormond Street Hospital

London, , United Kingdom

Barts Health NHS Trust

London, , United Kingdom

St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

London, , United Kingdom

Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Manchester, , United Kingdom

The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

Manchester, , United Kingdom

South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Middlesbrough, , United Kingdom

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust

Nottingham, , United Kingdom

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Oxford, , United Kingdom

Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust

Sheffield, , United Kingdom

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust

Southampton, , United Kingdom

University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust

Stoke-on-Trent, , United Kingdom

Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust

Truro, , United Kingdom

York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

York, , United Kingdom

Countries

United Kingdom

References

Iro MA, Sadarangani M, Absoud M, Chong WK, Clark CA, Easton A, Gray V, Kneen R, Lim M, Pike M, Solomon T, Vincent A, Willis L, Yu LM, Pollard AJ. ImmunoglobuliN in the Treatment of Encephalitis (IgNiTE): protocol for a multicentre randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open. 2016 Nov 3;6(11):e012356. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-012356.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 27810972 (View on PubMed)

Hill M, Iro M, Sadarangani M, Absoud M, Cantrell L, Chong K, Clark C, Easton A, Gray V, Kneen R, Lim M, Liu X, Pike M, Solomon T, Vincent A, Willis L, Yu LM, Pollard AJ; IgNiTE study team. Intravenous immunoglobulin treatment in childhood encephalitis (IgNiTE): a randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open. 2023 Nov 9;13(11):e072134. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-072134.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 37945292 (View on PubMed)

Related Links

https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/11/e072134.long

Intravenous immunoglobulin treatment in childhood encephalitis (IgNiTE): a randomised controlled trial

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27810972/

ImmunoglobuliN in the Treatment of Encephalitis (IgNiTE): protocol for a multicentre randomised controlled trial

Other Identifiers

OVG 2014/05

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id