Via The Daily Monitor: Nodding syndrome trials for February.
A study which aims at testing the effectiveness of conventional anti-epileptic therapy in treating nodding syndrome will start in February 2013 after getting approval from the Centre for Disease Control and the Ministry of Health.
Details published on the CDC website show that the study will enrol at least 80 children between the age of 5 and 15 who have shown clinical signs of the disease.
The lead investigators, Dr Richard Idro from the Ministry of Health, Dr Sudhir Bungha and Scott Dowell from CDC will study the effect and response to therapeutic doses of oral pyridoxine (vitamin B6) with currently used conventional anti-epileptic drugs including phenytoin and sodium valproate among children with nodding syndrome.
The seven-month long study which will be conducted at the Kitgum General Hospital Nodding Syndrome Treatment Centre is expected to be completed with partial results by September 2013.
However, an official from the Ministry who asked not be named said the study may experience slight delays as they are yet to review the progress of the current interventions before they can enrol patients on new drugs.
The review exercise will be conducted at the end of January according to the source. “The drug we are using now (sodium valproate) is giving positive results. We have requested for a postponement of a month, depending on the results from the review, we will then determine whether the trial should go on or not,” the source added.
Case studies presented at the international scientific conference on nodding syndrome held in Kampala last year ruled out the link to munitions, prior history of measles infection, consumption of baboon meat and sorghum among possible causes.
