Environmental Factors Associated With Peripheral Neuropathies in French Guiana

NCT07341997 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: YANANER
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 78
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 2

Brief Summary

Peripheral neuropathies (PN) affect 1% of the global population, particularly the elderly. About 20-30% of cases remain unexplained. In French Guiana, we hypothesize that factors like neurotoxic traditional plant remedies, arboviral disease outbreaks, and mercury exposure from illegal gold mining may contribute to PN. The study aims to assess the association between PN and exposure to arboviral infections, heavy metals, and plant consumption in French Guiana.

Conditions

Peripheral Neuropathies; Lead Neuropathy; Mercury Neuropathy; Bita; Environmental Risk Factor

Keywords

Preipheral neuropathies; French guiana; Mercury; Lead; Arboviruses; Environment

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Comparison of exposure rates among cases and controls

  The primary endpoint will be the comparison of rates of exposure to arboviruses, heavy metals and consumption of potentially neurotoxic plants in cases and controls. The heavy metals assay and the questionnaire will be carried out at the inclusion visit.

  At inclusion

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Genetic mutations indentification

  At inclusion

• Peripheral Nerve Disability (PND) determination

  At inclusion

Study Arms (1)

Control group

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Patients hospitalised or consulting at hospitals in Cayenne and Saint-Laurent du Maroni who do not have peripheral neuropathy.

Other: Case Group

Interventions

Case Group OTHER

Patients diagnosed with diabetic peripheral neuropathy or chronic idiopathic axonal polyneuropathy.

Control group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• For the Case group: patients diagnosed with diabetic peripheral neuropathy or chronic idiopathic axonal polyneuropathy
• For the Control group: patients hospitalized or consulting at the hospitals in Cayenne and Saint-Laurent du Maroni, without peripheral neuropathy.

You may not qualify if:

• For the Case and Control groups: patients under the age of 18, those who object to participation and those who are unable to complete the questionnaire.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Admin CIC: lead

Study Sites (2)

Centre Hospitalier de Cayenne

Cayenne, 97300, French Guiana

RECRUITING

Centre Hospitalier de l'Ouest Guyanais

Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, 97320, French Guiana

RECRUITING

Related Publications (12)

• Nacher M, Ouedraogo E, Succo T, Guarmit B, Djossou F, Stettler L, Alvarez F, Elenga N, Adenis A, Couppié P. L'infection VIH en Guyane: revue historique et tendances actuelles. Bull Epidemiol Hebd. 2020;2-3:43-51. http://beh. santepubliquefrance.fr/beh/2020/2-3/pdf/2020_2-3_2.pdf.

  BACKGROUND

• Cardoso * T. BA. Le mercure en Guyane française : synthèse des études d'imprégnation et d'impact sanitaires menées de 1994 à 2005. Bulletin Epidémiologique Hebdomadaire - BEH. 2010 Apr;13:118-20.

  BACKGROUND

• Lernould B. Intoxications à la Bita dans le bassin du Maroni en 2011, série de 4 cas, aspects cliniques et paracliniques, botaniques et de santé publique. Th Doc Méd. Université du Droit et de la Santé - Lille 2, Lille, France. 2013. https://pepite- depot.univ-lille.fr/LIBRE/Th_Medecine/2013/2013LIL2M304. pdf.

  BACKGROUND

• Graille J, Blaizot R, Darrigade AS, Sainte-Marie D, Nacher M, Schaub R, Couppie P. Leprosy in French Guiana 2007-2014: a re-emerging public health problem. Br J Dermatol. 2020 Jan;182(1):237-239. doi: 10.1111/bjd.18334. Epub 2019 Sep 8. No abstract available.

  PMID: 31286485 BACKGROUND

• Sabbah N, Carles G, Demar M, Nacher M. Diabetes in French Guiana, adapting national standards of therapeutic education and care to the amazonian challenge. World J Diabetes. 2021 Feb 15;12(2):98-107. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v12.i2.98.

  PMID: 33594330 BACKGROUND

• Maurice L, Barraza F, Blondet I, Ho-A-Chuck M, Tablon J, Brousse P, Demar M, Schreck E. Childhood lead exposure of Amerindian communities in French Guiana: an isotopic approach to tracing sources. Environ Geochem Health. 2021 Nov;43(11):4741-4757. doi: 10.1007/s10653-021-00944-9. Epub 2021 May 11.

  PMID: 33974199 BACKGROUND

• Matos LM, Borges AT, Palmeira AB, Lima VM, Maciel EP, Fernandez RNM, Mendes JPL, Romero GAS. Frequency of exposure to arboviruses and characterization of Guillain Barre syndrome in a clinical cohort of patients treated at a tertiary referral center in Brasilia, Federal District. Rev Soc Bras Med Trop. 2022 Apr 8;55:e03062021. doi: 10.1590/0037-8682-0306-2021. eCollection 2022.

  PMID: 35416870 BACKGROUND

• Maury-Brachet R, Gentes S, Dassie EP, Feurtet-Mazel A, Vigouroux R, Laperche V, Gonzalez P, Hanquiez V, Mesmer-Dudons N, Durrieu G, Legeay A. Mercury contamination levels in the bioindicator piscivorous fish Hoplias aimara in French Guiana rivers: mapping for risk assessment. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2020 Feb;27(4):3624-3636. doi: 10.1007/s11356-018-3983-x. Epub 2019 Jan 4.

  PMID: 30610584 BACKGROUND

• Laperche V, Hellal J, Maury-Brachet R, Joseph B, Laporte P, Breeze D, Blanchard F. Regional distribution of mercury in sediments of the main rivers of French Guiana (Amazonian basin). Springerplus. 2014 Jun 26;3:322. doi: 10.1186/2193-1801-3-322. eCollection 2014.

  PMID: 25045610 BACKGROUND

• Schmidt HH, Waddington-Cruz M, Botteman MF, Carter JA, Chopra AS, Hopps M, Stewart M, Fallet S, Amass L. Estimating the global prevalence of transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy. Muscle Nerve. 2018 May;57(5):829-837. doi: 10.1002/mus.26034. Epub 2018 Feb 1.

  PMID: 29211930 BACKGROUND

• Pasnoor M, Nascimento OJ, Trivedi J, Wolfe GI, Nations S, Herbelin L, de Freitas MG, Quintanilha G, Khan S, Dimachkie M, Barohn R. North America and South America (NA-SA) neuropathy project. Int J Neurosci. 2013 Aug;123(8):563-7. doi: 10.3109/00207454.2013.782026. Epub 2013 Apr 17.

  PMID: 23461611 BACKGROUND

• Hanewinckel R, van Oijen M, Ikram MA, van Doorn PA. The epidemiology and risk factors of chronic polyneuropathy. Eur J Epidemiol. 2016 Jan;31(1):5-20. doi: 10.1007/s10654-015-0094-6. Epub 2015 Dec 23.

  PMID: 26700499 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Peripheral Nervous System Diseases

Interventions

Diagnosis-Related Groups

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Neuromuscular Diseases; Nervous System Diseases

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Prospective Payment System; Reimbursement Mechanisms; Insurance, Health, Reimbursement; Financing, Organized; Economics; Health Care Economics and Organizations

Study Officials

• Mathieu NACHER

  Centre Hospitalier de Cayenne

  STUDY CHAIR

Central Study Contacts

Nathalie DESCHAMPS, Principal Investigator

CONTACT

+594 594 397 317; nathalie.deschamps@ch-cayenne.fr

Vincent De Paul SENEKIAN, Principal Investigator

CONTACT

v.senekian@ch-ouestguyane.fr

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Nathalie DESCHAMPS

Model Details: This is a prospective multicenter case-control study being conducted in hospitals in Cayenne and Saint-Laurent du Maroni. At the inclusion visit, blood samples will be taken to assess arbovirus serology, particularly for Zika, Chikungunya and Dengue, as well as to measure levels of heavy metals, including mercury and lead. In addition, urine and hair samples will be taken to analyze these heavy metals. Participants will also fill in a questionnaire about their plant consumption.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 6, 2026
• First Posted: January 15, 2026
• Study Start: December 8, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 1, 2027
• Last Updated: January 15, 2026

Record last verified: 2025-07

Locations

FR (2)