Neutrophil function in pneumonia and sepsis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Does hospitalisation of older patients with severe community acquired pneumonia and sepsis lead to long term immunoparesis?
IRAS ID
272987
Contact name
David Thickett
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Birmingham
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 7 months, 0 days
Research summary
Pneumonia is a severe lung infection and a leading cause of death, especially in older people. Older people who survive pneumonia are more likely to need readmission to hospital, have a poorer quality of life and reduced independence.
We know that the immune system does not function normally in older people, and this impaired function is worse during a severe infection.
Neutrophils are the most numerous white blood cells and are key to fighting infections such as pneumonia. Neutrophils circulate in the blood stream but then move to areas of infection in the body, eating bacteria and releasing toxic products. The neutrophils ability to do this is impaired in older adults and is especially impaired when sepsis is present.
During sepsis, increased clearance of some immune cells causes the depletion of these immune cells, especially adaptive immune cells . In some adults this manifests as a change in the neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio. A change in this ratio is associated with poor outcomes.To investigate this, we intend to recruit older and younger adults who are admitted to hospital with pneumonia. We will take blood samples from them on enrollment, 3-5 days later and then six weeks later to assess their neutrophil function at the start of pneumonia and as they recover. We will assess neutrophil function and look at the causes of altered cell functions.
We will compare these results to older adults without pneumonia. This will give us evidence and data to progress to human studies with the eventual aim of developing a therapy that can improve neutrophil function in older adults, and
thus improve survival.REC name
Wales REC 4
REC reference
20/WA/0092
Date of REC Opinion
10 Mar 2020
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion