A Multi-Center Trial to Study Acute Liver Failure in Adults
- Conditions
- Acute Liver InjuryFulminant Hepatic FailureAcute Liver Failure
- Registration Number
- NCT00518440
- Lead Sponsor
- William Lee
- Brief Summary
The purpose of this study is to collect clinical and epidemiological data as well as serum, plasma, urine, tissue and DNA samples on individuals who have acute liver failure and on individuals who have acute liver injury, a less severe group of patients who have coagulopathy but do not reach the threshold of encephalopathy.
- Detailed Description
Although ALF is truly an orphan disease affecting only about 2,000 persons per year, its severity, its frequency among young adults, and its high resource utilization justifies the attention paid to it. In addition, ALF has captured the interest and attention of researchers because of its unique pathogenesis and extreme severity, encouraging us to understand the processes underlying all forms of liver injury, by focusing on this most lethal manifestation.
The etiologies associated with ALF have continued to change further over the years with an apparent decline in viral hepatitis, and a remarkable increase in acetaminophen toxicity to its current level of \~44-50% of cases. A further problem in studying ALF is that the number of cases of a specific etiology observed at any one institution are vanishingly small. The earliest goals of the ALF Study then were to more carefully define the etiologies of ALF on a national scale, and to finally allow in-depth study of specific ALF causes such as autoimmune ALF, viral hepatitis and Wilson disease (WD).
A second group of patients worthy of study are those with acute liver injury.It would be of value to study patients destined to possibly have ALF earlier in their illness for several reasons: first, we might be able to better predict who will progress to full liver failure; second, the current definition requiring encephalopathy limits the number of patients available for study at any site; finally, therapeutic trials might have greater efficacy if begun at earlier disease stages.
Patients who are enrolled are referred to ALFSG clinical sites by gastroenterologist/hepatologist and fellows. Detailed clinical data and bio-specimen (sera, urine, plasma, DNA and tissue if available) are collected. Subjects are followed long-term at 6 months and 12 months. Detailed clinical data and sera are collected.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- COMPLETED
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 3488
- Written Informed consent from patient's next of kin
- Altered mentation of any degree (encephalopathy)
- Evidence of moderately severe coagulopathy (INR ≥ 1.5)
- A presumed acute illness onset of less than 26 weeks
- The NIH guidelines on the inclusion of women and minorities as subjects in clinical research will be observed
ALF
- Cirrhosis patients
- Alcohol induced liver failure
- Known pre-existing chronic liver disease
ALI Inclusion Criteria:
Acetaminophen (APAP) etiology: acute illness < 2 wks
- INR ≥ 2.0, ALT ≥ 10X ULN Non-acetaminophen etiology: acute illness < 26 wks
- INR≥ 2.0, ALT≥ 10X ULN, TBili ≥ 3 mg/dl
ALI Exclusion Criteria:
• Altered mentation of any degree (encephalopathy)
Study & Design
- Study Type
- OBSERVATIONAL
- Study Design
- Not specified
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Overall Survival 1 Year
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method
Trial Locations
- Locations (12)
University of Alabama at Birmingham
🇺🇸Birmingham, Alabama, United States
University of California, San Francisco
🇺🇸San Francisco, California, United States
Northwestern University Medical School
🇺🇸Chicago, Illinois, United States
Yale Medical School
🇺🇸New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Virginia Commonwealth University
🇺🇸Richmond, Virginia, United States
University of Washington
🇺🇸Seattle, Washington, United States
Kansas University Medical Center
🇺🇸Kansas City, Kansas, United States
The Ohio State University
🇺🇸Columbus, Ohio, United States
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
🇺🇸Dallas, Texas, United States
University of Alberta
🇨🇦Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
University of Michigan Medical Center
🇺🇸Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
Medical University of South Carolina
🇺🇸Charleston, South Carolina, United States