Habitual physical activity and exercise capacity in pulmonary hypertension

Plain English summary of protocol

Background and study aims
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a serious health condition caused by raised blood pressure within the pulmonary arteries (the blood vessels going to the lungs). It can result in damage to the right side of the heart, so that it isn’t able to pump blood around the body as well as it should. PH is a debilitating disease with symptoms including shortness of breath, fatigue, feeling faint and dizzy, chest pain and tachycardia (irregular heart beat). The condition can have severe effects on a person’s quality of life. As the symptoms are non-specific and possibly due to a number of other causes, diagnosis of PH and referral to appropriate specialists can be delayed resulting in worsening of the patients condition. Management of PH focuses on both supportive therapy and target driven drug therapies. Support management includes diuretics, oxygen, and digoxin (a heart drug). Modern drug therapy has led to a significant improvement in patient symptoms and has slowed the rate of clinical deterioration. Exercise training in number of recent studies has been shown to be beneficial in improving quality of life and increase the amount of exercise the patients can do (exercise capacity). Despite the use of medications and exercise, patients remain symptomatic with a poor quality of life and prognosis. Recent clinical studies have shown that PH leads to weakness of the muscles and leads to both an increase in muscle protein breakdown and changes in muscle fibre types. We need greater understanding of the effect of currently accepted treatment for PH on a patients physical activity and ability to exercise. Only then can we focus on the role of resistance training in improving symptoms and function in PH patients. Mitochrondria are found within cells and generate energy for cell function. This study will involve research into the function of muscles of PH patients and activity of mitochrondria in muscle cells using a functioning imaging technique.

Who can participate?
Adults (aged over 18) diagnosed with PH.

What does the study involve?
Participants undergo a course of targeted pulmonary hypertension therapy. During this time they are asked to complete two questionnaires at different points in the study. They also wear an accelerometer and do a cardiopulmonary exercise test at the start of the study, after 3 months and then after 6 months. We look closely at how muscles extract and use oxygen over a time course of standard care. This study will help us develop potential new exercise rehabilitation programme particularly the role of resistance training in pulmonary hypertension.

What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
There are no risk from wearing the accelerometer. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing will be supervised in a hospital and is considered a relatively safe procedure to undergo in patients with pulmonary hypertension, with rare risk of arrhythmia arising requiring treatment.

Where is the study run from?
Newcastle upon Tyne NHS Foundation Trust, Freeman Hospital (UK)

When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
March 2015 to February 2017

Who is funding the study?
Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust (UK)

Who is the main contact?
Dr Sasiharan Sithamparanathan

Contact information

Study information

Eligibility

Locations

Countries of recruitment

• United Kingdom
• England

Study participating centre

Results and Publications

Study outputs

Editorial Notes

26/05/2021: Added link to thesis.