Clinical Trial: Etiologic Treatment With Benznidazole in Adult Patients With Chronic Chagas Disease. A Randomized Clinical Trial

Study Status: Completed
Recruit Status: Completed
Study Type: Interventional

Official Title: Etiologic Treatment With Benznidazole in Adult Patients With Chronic Chagas Disease. A Randomized Double Blind Clinical Trial

Brief Summary:

The purpose of this study is:

  1. -to determine whether benznidazole (BZN) will be able to modify the natural evolution of chronic Chagas disease in adult patients by means of a randomized, double-blind clinical trial (RCT).

    Also:

  2. -to validate therapeutic efficacy with new methods, such as recombinant antigen F29 of Trypanosoma cruzi visualized by conventional ELISA, in the context of the RCT compared with conventional serology (CS)
  3. -to develop the real-time polymerase chain-reaction (RT-PCR) to quantify the parasite load as an early therapeutic effect.
  4. to determine the potential of such serological and parasitological methods as predictors of therapeutic effect or failure.

Detailed Summary:

Patients and Methods. Patients selected to be enrolled were born in Chagas disease endemic areas of Argentina and bordering countries such as Bolivia and Paraguay, whose current residence is in urban non endemic areas of Argentina. They were sorted by clinical stage: stage 0, 1, 2 and 3 according to a modified Kuschnir classification.1 Briefly, Stage 0 corresponds to patients only with reactive serology for Chagas disease; stage 1, patients with reactive serology plus electrocardiographic abnormalities; stage 2, patients with the abovementioned characteristics plus dilatation of left ventricle by echocardiography, and stage 3, patients with the abovementioned characteristics, plus cardiac failure.

The follow-up was performed every 4 months during the first 2 years, every 6 months in the 3rd and 4th year, and annually from then on until the end of the study in 2012.

The safety of TRAENA was controlled at days 25 and 45 intra-treatment by means of laboratory tests and clinical evaluation, and at any time that an adverse event was apparent in patients.

Adherence to medication administration was verified by means of a booklet where the patient recorded the daily intake of medication and any physical abnormality that appeared during the time they were taking of medicine. Adherence was controlled by a surveillance and recovery system which consisted of telephone calls, telegrams, letters or home visits that was termed "active monitoring", which was immediately applied to the control visit when the patient did not attend the corresponding schedule control.

Telephone calls were the most useful tool to recover adherence to monitoring. Patients were assigned to BZN or Placebo treatment by an investigator independent from the
Sponsor: Instituto Nacional de Parasitologia Dr. Mario Fatala Chaben

Current Primary Outcome:

  • Cardiovascular Mortality [ Time Frame: Time to event: from date of randomization until the date of first documented progression or date of death from any cause up to 10 years of follow-up ]
    Sudden death, unexpectedly in time and in its presentation,preceded by the abrupt loss of consciousness within a maximum of one hour of the onset of symptoms,when it happened during sleep or unexpectedly in a patient was stable until then. Related Death, when presented in a patient with signs of progressive heart failure.Ischemic or Hemorrhagic Stroke
  • Development of heart failure [ Time Frame: Time to event: from date of randomization until the date of first documented progression of heart failure up to 10 years of follow-up ]
    Dyspnea is evaluated according to the classification of the New York Heart Association (NYHA),gallop rhythm, jugular venous distension, crackles in the lungs, edema or pleural effusion,hepatomegaly
  • Severe arrhythmias with hemodynamic compromise or pacemaker implant or Implantable cardiac defibrillator [ Time Frame: Time to event: from date of randomization until the date of first documented progression up to 10 years of follow-up ]
    Sustained ventricular tachycardia, atrioventricular block, trifascicular block, Atrial fibrillation


Original Primary Outcome: Same as current

Current Secondary Outcome:

  • Electrocardiographic endpoints. New development of permanent changes in the electrocardiographic [ Time Frame: Time to event: from date of randomization until the date of first documented as defined in the secondary outcome up to 10 years of follow-up ]
    • Stable sinus bradycardia (<50 beats / min)
    • Auriculoventricular blocks of 2nd and 3rd degree
    • Left anterior hemi-block
    • Complete right bundle branch block
    • Atrial flutter or fibrillation
    • Sustained ventricular tachycardia
  • Changes in clinical stage in chronic Chagas disease [ Time Frame: Time to event: from date of randomization until the date of first documented as defined in the secondary outcome up to 10 years of follow-up ]
    Clinical progression
  • Enlargement of the left ventricle (LV) detected by echocardiography. [ Time Frame: Time to event: from date of randomization until the date of first documented as defined in the secondary outcome up to 10 years of follow-up ]
    Clinical Progression
  • New Heart Failure [ Time Frame: Time to event: from date of randomization until the date of first documented as defined in the secondary outcome up to 10 years of follow-up ]
    Clinical Progression
  • Stroke [ Time Frame: Time to event: from date of randomization until the date of first documented as defined in the secondary outcome up to 10 years of follow-up ]
    Clinical progression
  • Serological negativization [ Time Frame: time to event: from the date of randomization to the date of the first documented serological negativization that persists until 10 years of follow-up ]
    by ELISA F29 vs. conventional serology as a late indicator of efficacy or therapeutic failure.
  • Development and validation of RT-PCR [ Time Frame: time to event: from the date of randomization to the date of the first documented no detectable RT-PCR that persists until 10 years of follow-up ]
    Demonstration of RT-PCR as an early indicator of efficacy or therapeutic failure.
  • Changes of the secondary objectives during RCT development. New single endpoints [ Time Frame: Since October 2011 during 18 months ]
    1. Any change in clinical stage 0 to II due to left ventricular enlargement demonstrated by echocardiogram, or I to III stage due to development of heart failure.

    2. Complete left branch block

      • 3. Atrial fibrillation
      • 4. Repetitive ventricular extrasystoles: doublets, triplets, bigemina, trigeminus, ventricular tachycardia
  • Combined clinical endpoints: [ Time Frame: Since October 2011 during 18 months ]
    • Right bundle branch block associated with left anterior hemi-block.
    • Parietal motility disorders of left ventricle by echocardiography (akinesia, hypokinesia, and dyskinesia) associated with impaired left ventricular systolic function.
    • Parietal motility disorders of left ventricle by echocardiogram (Akinesia, Hypokinesia, dyskinesia) and /or impaired LV systolic function associated with new electrocardiographic changes (complete left branch block, right bundle branch block, left anterior hemi-block, ventricular extrasystoles.
    • Occurrence of left ventricle aneurysm point by echocardiogram associated to ventricular arrhythmia (section 2.4.1.4.).
    • Occurrence of left ventricle aneurysm point by echocardiogram associated with depression of LV systolic function by echocardiography.


Original Secondary Outcome: Same as current

Information By: Instituto Nacional de Parasitologia Dr. Mario Fatala Chaben

Dates:
Date Received: January 19, 2015
Date Started: March 1999
Date Completion:
Last Updated: March 5, 2015
Last Verified: March 2015