RESEARCH APPEALS FOR INTESTINAL CARE FOR ME-SICK
July 11, 2017 Updated: 14:48 / 19 July, 2017
PER-CHRISTIAN JOHANSEN, COMMUNICATIONS ADVISER
A new major study aimed at CFS / ME sick (chronic fatigue syndrome) is now being conducted in collaboration with the medical and physical medical department UNN Harstad.
On the basis of input from more than 700 ME patients, relatives and therapists, the Research Council has granted NOK 30 million to four national studies. In total, there were 19 applicants for the new research project.
- ME is characterized by rapid fatigue in the muscles and central nervous system. The reason is unknown, and there is also disagreement about how to approach the disease treatmentally. We believe ME may be caused by a disorder in the natural intestinal flora that has been shown to have a different composition compared to healthy. Increased markers in the immune system have been found that may indicate a leak of bacterial products from the intestine. This leak can again be due to an intestinal flora in imbalance, says LIS physician Peter Holger Johnsen at the medical department UNN Harstad.
- From studies on other diseases, it is known that an intestinal flora in imbalance can be normalized by transferring intestinal bacteria from a carefully selected fresh donor to the intestine of the sick person. This is what is called fecal transplant. At the medical department UNN Harstad we have recently completed a study on the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome with fecal transplantation. Through this work we learned that the same treatment principle could also work with CSF / ME, says Johnsen, who is the initiator of the project and fellow of the study on irritable bowel syndrome.
Recruitment of participants
Bowel flora is probably related to many diseases, and can also be a cause of CFS / ME development. Patients themselves have shown interest in the subject, and therefore the research project is among the electors from the Research Council.
"There will be a blinded placebostudie. That is, neither the donor nor the patient knows who gets treatment with what. Half will receive treatment with feces from a healthy donor, while the other half gets placebo, Johnsen adds.
Treatment and inclusion in the study will take place at UNN Harstad, where both the physical and medical department will be involved.
- The timeline of the project has not been fully clarified, but we aim to use the following year for mapping and recruiting a total of 74 people with chronic fatigue syndrome to participate in the study. Already the interest is great. Start-up on the treatment itself will be calculated until August next year, ending December 2019, says Peter Holger Johnsen.
Interdisciplinary group
CSF / ME is a complex disease and the type of treatment attempts has never been carefully studied in previous studies.Therefore, the project team consists of physicians from three different specialties, as well as researchers with a lot of experience on fecal transplant as a treatment.
Chief Rasmus Goll at gastromedisin UNN Tromsø is a project leader in the study. Per Christian Valle is a senior physiotherapist in Harstad. Both were supervisors of Peter Holger Johnsen in the study of irritable bowel, and continue as in the ME study. In the group there is also a section officer and fellow doctor at UNN Harstad Physical Education, Guri Heiberg, and general practitioner Frank Hilpüsch. Once diagnosed, the general practitioners will follow up the patients. Hilpüsch also participated in the irritable bowel study.
- The application to the Research Council was motivated by the project group to demonstrate its ability to carry out irritable bowel studies. At the same time we wanted an interdisciplinary approach so that we were highlighted several aspects of the disease. This will ensure that we take care of the participants in the study as well as possible. In addition, it was enough for the application to conclude a cooperation agreement with an internationally recognized research community from the USA, concludes Peter Holger Johnsen.
Of the total of 30 million granted from the Research Council to the four studies related to CFS / ME, five million dedicated projects are in Harstad. The three other studies are affiliated with the University of Oslo, the University of Bergen and SINTEF.
Here you can read more about the total project and the background for this .
Participation and information
Information, opportunity for participation and updating on the progress of the study find interested in our new
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