Summary

Eligibility
for people ages 50 years and up (full criteria)
Healthy Volunteers
healthy people welcome
Location
at San Francisco, California and other locations
Dates
study started
completion around
Principal Investigator
by Katrina Abuabara, M.D.
Headshot of Katrina Abuabara
Katrina Abuabara

Description

Summary

The goal of this observational study is to understand factors associated with skin sodium storage in healthy adults and people with atopic dermatitis ages 50 and above.

The study is designed to test whether diet and skin barrier function are associated with skin sodium concentration and whether skin sodium concentration is linked to atopic dermatitis and immune profiles over time.

Participants will be asked to complete questionnaires, provide bio samples, and undergo non-contrast sodium MRI at 2-3 time points over 3-24 months.

Details

The central hypothesis of this proposal is that excess dietary sodium (consumed primarily as salt) is concentrated in the skin as a physiologic response to poor barrier function, and that high levels of skin sodium worsen atopic dermatitis.

The study will recruit 90 individuals (30 healthy participants, 30 with mild atopic dermatitis and 30 with severe atopic dermatitis) and follow them to identify factors associated with skin sodium storage. Diet will be evaluated using food frequency questionnaires and urine biomarkers, skin sodium concentration will be measured using a non-invasive sodium MRI technique, and atopic dermatitis activity and severity will be measured using multiple patient-reported outcomes and clinician scores. Participants without atopic dermatitis will be asked to visit the research site 4 times over 3 months. Participants with atopic dermatitis will be additionally asked to complete monthly severity scores for up to 24 months total and to visit the research site an additional 2 times when their disease severity changes.

The first specific aim will evaluate the association between dietary sodium intake and skin barrier function on skin sodium concentration. The primary analysis will use regression models to determine the association between dietary sodium intake and skin sodium concentration across 2-3 time points. The association with skin barrier function will also be evaluated.

The second specific aim will evaluate the extent to which skin sodium is associated with atopic dermatitis severity and persistence. The analysis will use regression models to determine the association between skin sodium and atopic dermatitis prevalence and severity. It will also examine immune profiles associated with skin sodium.

Keywords

Eczema, Atopic Dermatitis, Sodium, Salt, Dermatitis, Mild AD, Severe AD

Eligibility

You can join if…

Open to people ages 50 years and up

  • Ages 50 years and above
  • Willing to undergo non-contrast MRI (e.g., no contraindications to MRI, such as cardiac pacemakers, non-compatible intracranial vascular clips or pregnancy).

You CAN'T join if...

  • History of autoimmune disease.
  • Cardiac events in the last six months.
  • Impaired function of the liver or kidneys (glomerular filtration rate <60ml/min).
  • Current use of medications that influence sodium excretion (e.g. thiazide diuretics, SGLT2 inhibitors and spironolactone), and/or chemotherapy or antibiotic treatment.
  • Currently receiving phototherapy or taking systemic medications for atopic dermatitis including cyclosporine, methotrexate, or other broad immunosuppressive medications.

(Patients on dupilumab will not be excluded if they have been on dupilumab for at least two months and still meet the criteria for severe disease.)

Locations

  • San Francisco VA Medical Center accepting new patients
    San Francisco California 94115 United States
  • UCSF Mt Zion Campus accepting new patients
    San Francisco California 94511 United States

Lead Scientist at UCSF

  • Katrina Abuabara, M.D.
    Dr. Abuabara studies the impact of inflammatory skin disease on overall health and the role of the skin in the aging process. Her interdisciplinary scientific approach combines genomic, physiological, environmental, and psychosocial variables to understand patient outcomes over time.

Details

Status
accepting new patients
Start Date
Completion Date
(estimated)
Sponsor
University of California, San Francisco
ID
NCT06998446
Study Type
Observational
Participants
Expecting 90 study participants
Last Updated