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Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)NCT01664767

Effects of Sulfur Thermal Water Inhalation on Airway Oxidative Stress in COPD Patients

A study testing Sulfur Thermal water in people with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), run by Università degli Studi di Ferrara at 1 site in Italy.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by fixed airflow obstruction, with important systemic co-morbidities. The obstruction is usually progressive and irreversible despite chronic therapy. Cigarette smoking is the major cause of this disease. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 50 to 80 years
What is being tested?
Sulfur Thermal water
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
40 participants
Where
1 siteItaly
Study dates
Nov 2011to Jun 2013
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 50 to 80 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Forty stable moderate to severe COPD patients (Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) stage 2 and 3), according to international guidelines.
  • FEV1/FVC ratio post-bronchodilator <70%
  • 30% < FEV1 < 80%

Who cannot join

  • Atopy
  • Asthma
  • Concomitant lung diseases (e.g. lung cancer)
  • Acute infections of the respiratory tree in the previous 3 months including COPD exacerbation.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Italy1 site
  • Research Centre on Asthma and COPD, University of Ferrara

    Ferrara, 44121

Other trials in Italy

About this study

Official title: Placebo Controlled Study Evaluating the Modulatory Effects of Sulfur Thermal Water Inhalation on Superoxide Anion Levels in Exhaled Breath Condensate in COPD Patients

The chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by fixed airflow obstruction, with important systemic co-morbidities. The obstruction is usually progressive and irreversible despite chronic therapy. Cigarette smoking is the major cause of this disease. COPD is an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Numerous studies have shown that oxidative stress plays a key role in the pathogenesis of COPD. In particular, the active metabolites of oxygen such as superoxide anion and the hydroxyl radical are unstable molecules that can trigger significant oxidative processes at the cellular level. These molecules can alter the extracellular matrix remodeling, cell respiration, cell proliferation, cellular repair and the immune response in the lung. All these events are key elements in the pathogenesis of COPD.

Currently available treatments for COPD (i.e. long-acting bronchodilators and inhaled corticosteroids) have not demonstrated a significant in vivo antioxidant effect. The thermal inhalation treatments are a therapeutic strategy used since many years in an empirical way in patients with COPD. Indeed, the evidence of effectiveness of spa treatment in patients with COPD are very limited.

The aim of this in vivo study is to evaluate the modulatory effects of sulfur thermal water inhalation on oxidant stress in the airways of stable COPD patients.

Being tested
Sulfur Thermal water, Placebo
Keywords
COPD, Thermal water, Oxidative stress, Inflammation
Medical subject headings
Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive, Inflammation

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Sulfur Thermal waterOther

  • PlaceboOther

Study groups in NCT01664767
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Thermal water inhalationExperimentalPatients will perform 12 days of sulfur thermal water inhalation
Receives: Other: Sulfur Thermal water
Isotonic saline inhalationPlacebo comparatorPatients will perform 12 days of isotonic saline inhalation
Receives: Other: Placebo

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Superoxide anion levels in exhaled breath condensate

    Levels of superoxide anion levels will be measured at recruitment (day 0) and after 12 days of inhalation. Changes between day 12 and day 0 will be evaluated.

    Measured: 12 days

Secondary outcomes (3)
  1. Superoxide anion levels in exhaled breath condensate

    Levels of superoxide anion will be measured at recruitment (day 0), after 12 days of inhalation (day 12) and one month after the last day oh inhalation (day 42). Changes between day 42, day 12 and day 0 will be evaluated.

    Measured: 42 day

  2. Inflammatory cell counts in induced sputum

    Inflammatory cell counts in induced sputum will be measured at recruitment (day 0), after 12 days of inhalation (day 12) and one month after the last day of inhalation (day 42). Changes between day 42, day 12 and day 0 will be evaluated.

    Measured: 42 days

  3. Clinical outcomes

    Spirometry and the impact of COPD on patient quality of life (performed by the COPD Assessment Test (CAT)) will be measured at recruitment (day 0), after 12 days of inhalation (day 12) and one month after the last day of inhalation (day 42). Changes between day 42, day 12 and day 0 will be evaluated.

    Measured: 42 days

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted14 Aug 2012 (estimated)
  2. Study startNov 2011
  3. Primary completionJan 2013
  4. Study completionJun 2013

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
40 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT01664767
Sponsor's protocol ID
RTUNIFE01
Status last verified
Dec 2013
First submitted
10 Aug 2012
Last updated
30 Dec 2013
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No

Publications

  • Contoli M, Gnesini G, Forini G, Marku B, Pauletti A, Padovani A, Casolari P, Taurino L, Ferraro A, Chicca M, Ciaccia A, Papi A, Pinamonti S. Reducing agents decrease the oxidative burst and improve clinical outcomes in COPD patients: a randomised controlled trial on the effects of sulphurous thermal water inhalation. ScientificWorldJournal. 2013 Dec 23;2013:927835. doi: 10.1155/2013/927835. eCollection 2013.

    PubMed 24453924

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Sulfur Thermal water in people with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), run by Università degli Studi di Ferrara at 1 site in Italy.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 30 Dec 2013. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Italy. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Superoxide anion levels in exhaled breath condensate (time frame: 12 days). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT01664767, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 30 Dec 2013.

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