Clinical trial NCT04848129: Genetic Correlates of Wasting: a Pilot Study With Children Attending a Tertiary Feeding Clinic
Official title: What Makes Children Thin? Genetic and Behavioural Correlates of Wasting: a Pilot Study With Children Attending a Tertiary Feeding Clinic
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Conditions: Undernutrition
Eating Disorders
Underweight
Keywords: Genetics
Child
Eating behaviour
Tube feeding
Avoidant Restrictive food intake disorder
Lead sponsor: University of Glasgow
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: University of Stirling
First posted: 2021-04-19
Enrollment: 25
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 1
Maximum age (years): 16
Standard ages: CHILD
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Observational model: CASE_ONLY
Time perspective: RETROSPECTIVE
Sampling method: PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: This is a heterogeneous population, united by their difficulties in eating solid food. The majority are, or have previously been, tube fed and around half have some learning disability. Thinness is very common in this group, but we will include all children, whatever their current growth pattern.

Brief summary: This is a pilot study of children attending the Glasgow feeding clinic (GFC) which looks after a range of children with severe feeding problems who commonly have low appetite and extreme thinness. The investigators want to find out if these children are more likely to carry genetic markers of thinness.

Detailed description: Thinness occurs as a result of undereating, but it is not always clear why an individual child has not eaten enough, or how to get them to eat more. There is a need to understand the child characteristics that predispose to undereating and the how these operate, in order to design more effective treatment and prevention programmes. The Glasgow feeding clinic (GFC) looks after a range of children with severe feeding problems who commonly have low appetite and extreme thinness. The investigators want to find out if these children are more likely to carry genetic markers of thinness.

The investigators will invite up to 60 families to complete a standardised online questionnaire (ICFET) about their child's eating behaviour and collect a saliva sample from their child, sent by post. The investigators will identify how many genetic markers for thinness each carries and relate this to their ICFET appetite scores and existing growth measurements as well as their feeding history.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

All participants currently attending Glasgow Feeding Clinic or assessed there within the last 2 years. NB current ethical application is restricted to children aged 1-7 years, but the investigators plan to apply to extend that to age 16 years.

Exclusion Criteria:

Sample not to be collected with 2 weeks of any symptoms or recent contact with Covid 19

Primary outcomes:
measure: Genotype risk score
timeFrame: Within 1-2 months of recruitment
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Eating behaviour score
timeFrame: At recruitment or up to 2 months before
measure: Body mass index
timeFrame: Up to two years before genetic test
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Glasgow
country: United Kingdom
facility: New Lister building, Royal Infirmary
state: Scotland
Study officials:
affiliation: University of Glasgow
name: Charlotte Wright, MD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: