Sweat-CF
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A study to assess the sweat response, sweat composition and thermoregulatory response to exercise in heat in adults with cystic fibrosis on cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator modulator therapy compared healthy controls.
IRAS ID
315193
Contact name
Zoe Saynor
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Portsmouth
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 2 days
Research summary
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the UK’s most common inherited genetic condition, affecting around 10, 837 people. CF causes problems with the movement of salt and water across the cells of many organs in the body including the sweat glands. In a healthy sweat gland salt is re-absorbed out of the sweat solution before sweat is produced on the skins surface. CF prevents the re-absorption of salt out of the sweat solution and sweat is produced with a higher than normal salt content, putting people with CF at risk of salt depletion during periods of excessive sweating. Thus, it is recommended that people with CF take salt supplements during periods of sweating.
New medicine (modulators) have become available for many people with CF, bringing dramatic improvements in their health, including a reduced sweat chloride level at rest. However, we do not know how this medicine alters the sweat response or the ability to keep body temperature within a normal range in people with CF. Therefore, we want to see if the sweat response and thermoregulatory response is different in people with CF taking this new medicine compared to a healthy control group.
We will study 9 adults with CF who are on modulator therapy and 9 healthy control participants. We will ask them to visit the University of Portsmouth on 2 occasions equating to 5.5 hours in the laboratory and ask them to undergo an exercise test to calculate how much heat they produce at different intensities. We will also ask them to do some prolonged cycling in a heat chamber whilst we measure their sweating and thermoregulatory response. We will have an additional 3rd visit for people with CF who agree to withhold their medicine for 14 days to repeat the cycling in the heat.REC name
South East Scotland REC 01
REC reference
22/SS/0102
Date of REC Opinion
12 Dec 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion