Intravenous iron in COPD

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Effects of intravenous iron on hypoxic pulmonary responses in COPD

• IRAS ID

  110119

• Contact name

  Annabel Nickol

• Eudract number

  2012-002952-17

• ISRCTN Number

  n/a

• Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier

  n/a

• Research summary

  COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is a chronic, progressive condition characterised by irreversible airway narrowing, and usually caused by smoking. Since 2009 we have been carrying out careful genotyping and phenotyping of COPD patients in a Registry (patients studied just once) and Cohort (patients followed up long term). Patients from the Registry/Cohorts study will be invited to take part in this current study which is to observe the effects of intravenous iron compared to saline placebo control, in patients with (COPD) over an eight-week follow-up period. Specifically we will test the hypothesis that iron reduces the normal rise in pulmonary vascular pressure (high blood pressure through the lungs) experienced in response to low oxygen, and that it improves quality of life and exercise tolerance. The rationale for this study is that the prevalence of iron deficiency is high in COPD, and that COPD patients commonly suffer from low oxygen at rest that worsens on exercise and during sleep. Some of the responses to low oxygen may be harmful, such as increased pulmonary vascular pressures and a switch to less favourable skeletal muscle metabolism. Iron has the potential to reverse some of these harmful effects of low oxygen; we have demonstrated that in healthy volunteers it diminishes the normal rise on pulmonary vascular pressure in response to low oxygen during observations over 8 hours and one week. Furthermore, iron has been shown to improve exercise ability and quality of life in patients with chronic heart failure ?? a condition that shares similarities with COPD, since it may also be associated with reduced tissue oxygen delivery. The study is funded by a grant from the Oxford Biomedical Research Centre.

• REC name

  South Central - Berkshire Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  12/SC/0539

• Date of REC Opinion

  1 Oct 2012

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion