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The EUROSCA Natural History Study

Recruiting
Conditions
Spinocerebellar Ataxia
Registration Number
NCT02440763
Lead Sponsor
Ataxia Study Group
Brief Summary

The key goals of EUROSCA-NHS is to determine and compare the rate of disease progression in SCA1, SCA2, SCA3 and SCA6 including determination of the order and occurrence of non-ataxia symptoms, assessment of activities of daily living (ADL) and quality of life (QoL), and identification of predictors of disease progression and survival.

Detailed Description

The key goal of EUROSCA-NHS is to determine and compare the rate of disease progression in SCA1, SCA2, SCA3 and SCA6. To this end, a newly developed and validated ataxia scale (Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia, SARA) will be used. EUROSCA-NHS has a number of secondary aims including determination of the order and occurrence of non-ataxia symptoms, assessment of activities of daily living (ADL) and quality of life (QoL), and identification of predictors of disease progression and survival. Substudies will deal with the development of brain atrophy, as assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), progression of peripheral neuropathy, as assessed by nerve conduction studies, and specific clinical aspects of SCA.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
RECRUITING
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
400
Inclusion Criteria

Not provided

Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

Study & Design

Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Study Design
Not specified
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Scale for the assessment and rating of ataxia (SARA)Patients are first seen at a baseline visit, followed by annual visits for 3 years scheduled ± 3 months around the specified time point. After the initial 3 year observation period, visits are done at irregular intervals each time they went to hospital.

Progression of ataxia is measured using a newly developed and validated ataxia scale, SARA. SARA was evaluated in two large validation trials performed by the EUROSCA clinical group and was found to be easy to use, reliable, and valid.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Disease stagesPatients are first seen at a baseline visit, followed by annual visits for 3 years scheduled ± 3 months around the specified time point. After the initial 3 year observation period, visits are done at irregular intervals each time they went to hospital.

Disease stages are measured using the 5 point scale ranging from 0 to 4 proposed by Klockgether et al., 1998.

Inventory of non-ataxia signs (INAS)Patients are first seen at a baseline visit, followed by annual visits for 3 years scheduled ± 3 months around the specified time point. After the initial 3 year observation period, visits are done at irregular intervals each time they went to hospital.

The occurrence of accompanying non-ataxia symptoms is recorded using INAS. In the SARA validation trials, INAS was applied to a large number of SCA patients. Statistical evaluation showed good reliability.

UHDRS part IVPatients are first seen at a baseline visit, followed by annual visits for 3 years scheduled ± 3 months around the specified time point. After the initial 3 year observation period, visits are done at irregular intervals each time they went to hospital.

Functional disability in ADL is assessed using the Functional assessment part of the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS) (Huntington Study Group, 1996). This 25-item assessment has been used in SCA patients throughout the SARA validation study with good practicality.

EQ-5DPatients are first seen at a baseline visit, followed by annual visits for 3 years scheduled ± 3 months around the specified time point. After the initial 3 year observation period, visits are done at irregular intervals each time they went to hospital.

Health related Quality of life is assessed using EQ-5D, a generic instrument that has been developed and validated by the EuroQuol Group (1990) and is available in validated translations for use as a questionnaire.

PHQ-9Patients are first seen at a baseline visit, followed by annual visits for 3 years scheduled ± 3 months around the specified time point. After the initial 3 year observation period, visits are done at irregular intervals each time they went to hospital.

Assessment of depressive symptoms is done using a validated 9-item short form of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ), a questionnaire that has been developed to screen for psychiatric co-morbidity in unselected populations (Spitzer et al. 1999).

Trial Locations

Locations (16)

Department of Neurology, Medical University, Innsbruck

🇦🇹

Innsbruck, Austria

Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Neurology Service - ULB Hôpital Erasme, ULB Laboratory of Experimental Neurology

🇧🇪

Brussels, Belgium

Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, Département de Génétique

🇫🇷

Paris, France

Department of Neurology, St. Josef Hospital, University Hospital of Bochum

🇩🇪

Bochum, Germany

Department of Neurology, University of Bonn

🇩🇪

Bonn, Germany

Department of Neurology, University Clinic Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen

🇩🇪

Essen, Germany

Department of Neurology, University of Frankfurt

🇩🇪

Frankfurt, Germany

Department of Neurodegeneration and Hertie-Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen

🇩🇪

Tübingen, Germany

Department of Medical Genetics, University of Pecs

🇭🇺

Pecs, Hungary

Department of Neurology, Zala County Hospital

🇭🇺

Zalaegerszeg, Hungary

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Department of Neurology, Medical University, Innsbruck
🇦🇹Innsbruck, Austria

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