Shingles: Immune Effects of Tai Chi
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| ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00118885 |
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Recruitment Status :
Completed
First Posted : July 12, 2005
Last Update Posted : December 11, 2009
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| Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
|---|---|---|
| Aging Herpes Zoster | Behavioral: Tai Chi Chih | Phase 2 |
Shingles, also known as herpes zoster (HZ), is more common in older persons due to the weakening of the immune system with advancing age. Psychosocial stresses in the older adult also correlate with the decline in immunity. In addition, preliminary data indicate that the presence of depressive symptoms in older adults is associated with a decline in the response to varicella zoster virus (VZV) vaccination. Taken together, the untoward effects of age and depressive symptoms on VZV immunity raise the question as to whether a behavioral intervention might augment VZV specific immunity in the older adult.
Preliminary data has shown that administration of a relaxation-response based intervention, Tai Chi Chih (TCC), results in improvements in health functioning and VZV immunity in older adults as compared to a control group. TCC is a slow moving meditation comprised of twenty separate standardized movements for use in elderly populations. By standardization of training and practice schedules, TCC offers an important advantage over prior relaxation response based therapies. This controlled trial has 3 goals:
- determine whether the practice of TCC for 16 weeks influences unstimulated- and vaccine-stimulated VZV specific immunity in adults 60 years of age and older;
- demonstrate that TCC can produce significant changes in psychological adaptation, health behaviors, and health functioning and well-being;
- assess whether changes in psychological adaptation, health behaviors, and health functioning correlate with changes in VZV immunity following TCC in older adults.
| Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
| Enrollment : | 140 participants |
| Allocation: | Randomized |
| Intervention Model: | Parallel Assignment |
| Primary Purpose: | Treatment |
| Official Title: | Behavioral Intervention for Herpes Zoster Risk in Aging |
| Study Start Date : | July 2001 |
| Actual Primary Completion Date : | December 2004 |
| Actual Study Completion Date : | December 2004 |
- varicella zoster specific immunity
- measures of health status including SF-36 scores, depressive symptoms, and health behaviors
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| Ages Eligible for Study: | 60 Years to 90 Years (Adult, Older Adult) |
| Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
| Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | Yes |
Inclusion Criteria:
- Older than 60 years of age at time of entry
- History of varicella or long term (>30 years) residence in the continental USA
- Accessible geographically
Exclusion Criteria:
- Immunosuppression resulting from neoplastic disease, corticosteroids or other therapy
- Significant underlying illness that would be expected to prevent completion of the study; any other condition (e.g. extensive psoriasis, chronic pain syndrome, cognitive impairment, severe hearing loss) that in the opinion of the investigator might interfere with the required evaluations
- Not ambulatory (bed-ridden)
- Prior HZ or prior receipt of varicella vaccine
- Allergic sensitivity to neomycin
- Receipt of immune globulin or other blood product within 3 months before the study period
- Receipt of other immunizations (e.g., hepatitis B vaccine) within 1 month of immunization
- Women who are not post-menopausal
- Acutely depressed or a suicidal risk
- Unable to commit to intervention schedule
- No history of varicella or varicella vaccination or no evidence of VZV immunity
- Contact with immunosuppressed individuals or pregnant women who do not have a history of chickenpox
- Active infections such as tuberculosis
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00118885
| United States, California | |
| Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute | |
| Los Angeles, California, United States, 90095 | |
| Principal Investigator: | Michael R. Irwin, MD | Norman Cousins Professor, Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute |
Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):
| ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT00118885 |
| Other Study ID Numbers: |
AG0029 R01AG018367 ( U.S. NIH Grant/Contract ) |
| First Posted: | July 12, 2005 Key Record Dates |
| Last Update Posted: | December 11, 2009 |
| Last Verified: | November 2006 |
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Shingles depression varicella zoster virus alternative medicine psychoneuroimmunology |
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Herpes Zoster Herpesviridae Infections DNA Virus Infections |
Virus Diseases Infections Varicella Zoster Virus Infection |