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Characteristics of Prader-Willi Syndrome and Early-onset Morbid Obesity

Prader-Willi Syndrome and Early-onset Morbid Obesity Natural History Clinical Protocol

Status
Completed
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Observational
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT00375089
Enrollment
392
Registered
2006-09-12
Start date
2006-09-30
Completion date
2014-01-31
Last updated
2014-09-22

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

Conditions

Obesity, Prader-Willi Syndrome

Keywords

Early-onset Morbid Obesity

Brief summary

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a rare genetic disorder that affects about 1 in 14,000 people in the United States. As the most commonly identified genetic cause of obesity, PWS is often confused with Early-onset Morbid Obesity (EMO). Individuals with EMO show some signs of PWS, but clinically do not have PWS. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical features and genetic basis of PWS and EMO, and to determine how these conditions affect a person throughout a lifetime.

Detailed description

PWS is a complex neurobehavioral syndrome. Clinical features include obesity, increased appetite, low muscle tone, cognitive impairment, distinct behavioral features, hypogonadism, and neonatal failure-to-thrive. It is the most commonly recognized genetic cause of obesity; however, many obese children do not in fact have PWS. These individuals are therefore diagnosed with EMO, a condition that shares features with PWS. The development of new advances and strategies for treating PWS and EMO requires a thorough understanding of the conditions at both the clinical and molecular levels. One goal of this study is to collect long-term data on individuals with PWS and EMO in order to gain a better understanding of the natural progression of the conditions, from the neonatal period well into adulthood. Specific to PWS, this study will establish a genotype-phenotype correlation among the different sub-types and will evaluate the effects of growth hormone treatment on disease progression. Lastly, the study will compare PWS with EMO in terms of clinical features and genetic basis. Participation in this natural history study will entail an initial evaluation, followed by yearly study visits until the age of 3 and then every 2 years thereafter. Each study visit will last between 3 and 4 hours, and will include a physical exam (including a DEXA scan to determine body composition), psychological testing, an interview with the study physician, and an evaluation of the participant's diet history. In addition, blood tests will be completed for genetic testing and photos will be taken to evaluate disease progression. Cognitive and behavioral assessments will also be conducted and will last between 10 and 30 minutes.

Interventions

OTHERGroup 1

Individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome. Monitoring every 6 months.

OTHERGroup 2

Individuals with Early-onset Morbid Obesity.

Sponsors

Office of Rare Diseases (ORD)
CollaboratorNIH
Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network
CollaboratorNETWORK
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
CollaboratorNIH
University of Florida
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
No minimum to 60 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Individuals enrolling in the Prader-Willi syndrome group will have a confirmed diagnosis of Prader-Willi syndrome, as confirmed by molecular and cytogenetic testing * Individuals enrolling in the Early-onset Morbid Obesity group will have a documented medical history of their weight exceeding 150% of the ideal body weight or a body mass index greater than 97% before the age of 4 years; they will also be under the age of 30 years.

Exclusion criteria

* Known genetic, chromosomal, or hormonal cause of cognitive impairment other than Prader-Willi syndrome

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Phenotypic assessments of participantsuntil end of studyphenotypic assessments will include cognitive level, behavioral analysis, physical features including body measurements and composition, co-morbidities (skin picking, psychiatric history, seizures, autistic behavior) medications required, and further comparison with the underlying molecular diagnosis.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
longitudinal pattern of progressionuntil end of studyassessment of cognition, behavior and body composition. In addition the age that growth hormone treatment began in the PWS participants will be correlated with physical features, body composition, cognition, behavior, developmental milestones, pubertal issues, and the onset of nutritional phases.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026