Role of lung sounds in IPF - Version 1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Electronic recording of lung sounds as clinical endpoint in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: a longitudinal pilot study
IRAS ID
143584
Contact name
Giacomo Sgalla
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Southampton
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a rare but fatal disease of unknown cause causing a progressive scarring in the lungs. Diagnosis often represents a medical challenge, and it is not possible to know how fast the disease will progress, making its management an issue. None of the few therapeutic options available showed to arrest the progression of the scarring process. Thus, there is a definite need for better tools for anticipating the diagnosis and improving the management of IPF.
The fibrotic process in the lungs of patients affected by IPF generates typical lung sounds, easily revealed by chest auscultation. Nevertheless, the accuracy of this finding (called “velcro-type" crackles by physicians) for making early diagnosis and for inform the monitoring the disease progression has never been assessed. Our hypothesis is that lung sounds may reflect the presence and the severity of the scarring, and therefore the progression of the disease over time. Thus, we aim to assess the value of lung sounds, recorded by means of an electronic stethoscope, as a low-cost, reliable tool for monitoring the disease.
The study will involve a total of about 30 patients with IPF and 15 healthy volunteers, recruited at two sites. The Southampton University Hospital will act as the main, coordinating centre, and the University Hospital of Modena (Italy) will be the second participant centre. Patients will be followed up for 12 months, during which they will have lung sounds recorded every 2 months, and perform other routine assessments (lung function, CT scan, plasma biomarkers) for monitoring IPF progression. The electronic analysis of lung sounds will allow determine how the sounds change over time and such changes will be correlated with changes in other clinical measurements, thus providing new, relevant information about the potential for their use in the clinical and research settings.REC name
South Central - Berkshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/SC/1429
Date of REC Opinion
22 Jan 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion