Thalidomide for Treatment of Oral and Esophageal Aphthous Ulcers and HIV Viremia in Patients With HIV Infection
Thalidomide
HIV Infections
+ Stomatitis, Aphthous
See all eligibility criteria
Treatment Study
See protocol details
Summary
PRIMARY: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of thalidomide for treatment of oral and esophageal aphthous ulcers (those unrelated to a known infection or malignancy) in patients with advanced HIV disease. To evaluate the effect of thalidomide on HIV load in this patient population. Per 06/28/94 amendment, to evaluate the effectiveness of thalidomide in preventing recurrences in patients whose aphthae completely heal at the end of acute treatment. SECONDARY: To evaluate the effect of thalidomide on blood tumor necrosis factor (TNF) levels and to obtain pharmacokinetic data on the drug. Per 06/28/94 amendment, to evaluate the safety of thalidomide. Per 05/10/95 amendment, to explore in a substudy the effects of thalidomide on idiopathic genital aphthous ulcers in HIV-infected women. Aphthous ulcers of the mouth or esophagus can interfere with eating, resulting in malnutrition and wasting. Thalidomide has been proposed as an effective therapy for severe forms of aphthous ulceration in AIDS patients. Aphthous ulcers of the mouth or esophagus can interfere with eating, resulting in malnutrition and wasting. Thalidomide has been proposed as an effective therapy for severe forms of aphthous ulceration in AIDS patients. Patients are randomized to receive 4 weeks of either thalidomide or placebo orally, administered once daily. Patients are followed weekly. Complete responders after 4 weeks of acute treatment enter a 24-week maintenance phase. A pharmacokinetic substudy will be included.
Protocol
This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.Participants are divided into different groups, each receiving a specific treatment at the same time. This helps researchers compare how well different treatments work against each other.
Other Ways to Assign Treatments
Single-group assignment: Everyone gets the same treatment.
Cross-over assignment: Participants switch between treatments during the study.
Factorial assignment: Participants receive different combinations of treatments.
Sequential assignment: Participants receive treatments one after another in a specific order, possibly based on individual responses.
Other assignment: Treatment assignment does not follow a standard or predefined design.
Eligibility
Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria: person's general health condition or prior treatments.Conditions
Criteria
