The relationship between mercury and systemic lupus erythematosus

An investigation of the exposure to inorganic and organic mercury (HG) and its relationship with disease activity in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Observational

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN91649606

Enrollment

172

Registered

2014-09-22

Start date

2015-04-10

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2016-10-17

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Systemic lupus erythematosus Musculoskeletal Diseases Systemic lupus erythematosus

Interventions

Patients will be assessed for disease activity and damage, and exposure to inorganic and methyl mercury. Fatty acids will be measured in the blood of the patients. They will have their dental amalgams

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

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

Exclusion criteria: 1. Currently pregnant 2. Have ever undergone chelation therapy

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
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). Disease-associated damage will be measured using the Systemic Lupus International Collaborative Clinics (SLICC) American College of Rheumatology (ACR) index.	—

Measure

Time frame

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). Disease-associated damage will be measured using the Systemic Lupus International Collaborative Clinics (SLICC) American College of Rheumatology (ACR) index.

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Secondary

Measure	Time frame
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.	—

Measure

Time frame

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.

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Countries

United Kingdom

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026