The relationship between mercury and systemic lupus erythematosus

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Systemic lupus erythematosus; Musculoskeletal Diseases

• Registration Number: ISRCTN91649606
• Lead Sponsor: The Department of Employment and Learning (DEL) (UK)

Brief Summary

Not available

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2014-09-22
• Last Update Posted: 17 October 2016

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 172

Inclusion Criteria

1. A positive diagnosis of SLE using the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) diagnosis criteria
2. Patients must be aged between 18-65

Exclusion Criteria

1. Currently pregnant
2. Have ever undergone chelation therapy

Study & Design

• Study Type: Observational
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
The primary aim is to investigate the relationship between concentrations of mercury in hair (reflecting organic mercury exposure) and urine (reflecting inorganic mercury exposure) and disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus patients. These will be assessed at one timepoint for each patient. Hair mercury will be measured using atomic absorption spectrometry. Urinary mercury will be analysed using cold vapour atomic fluorescence spectrometry. Disease activity will be measured using the revised systemic lupus activity measure (SLAM-R), the British Isles Lupus Assessment Group (BILAG), and the Safety of Estrogen in Lupus Erythematosus National Assessment ?Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SELENA-SLEDAI).<br>Disease-associated damage will be measured using the Systemic Lupus International Collaborative Clinics (SLICC) American College of Rheumatology (ACR) index.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
The secondary aims are to investigate if genes related to how an individual absorbs or excretes mercury will have an impact on hair and urinary mercury concentrations and disease activity. Furthermore, this study will investigate if exposure to mercury impacts on markers of inflammation. These will be assessed at one timepoint for each patient. Genotyping will be completed using PCR. Markers of inflammation will be measured using ELISA.