Allopurinol in Functional Impairment (ALFIE) Trial
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A Prospective Study to Evaluate the Effect of Allopurinol on Muscle Energetics in Older People with Impaired Physical Function.
IRAS ID
165844
Contact name
Jacob George
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Dundee
Eudract number
2014-004122-18
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
Muscle weakness that occurs as we get older can lead to a gradual slowing down of activity and increased difficulty in functioning independently. It may also lead to an increased risk of falls and can have a significant impact on social and healthcare costs. Exercise has been shown to improve muscle strength but many older people are unable to exercise due to underlying health problems so research into alternative treatments to improve muscle weakness are needed.
There is now strong and compelling reasons from recent experimental studies both in animals and humans to show that an established drug used to treat gout called allopurinol may also have beneficial effects on muscles. It does this by reducing harmful molecules in muscles called free radicals that reduce the ability of the muscle to make use of oxygen and therefore make the muscle tire more easily. Allopurinol has also been shown to improve blood flow to the muscles, again improving oxygen availability in them, and makes muscles more elastic so they are more efficient.
The ALFIE study will examine the effects of allopurinol compared to a dummy medicine on how well muscles function in older people and is designed to show if a 20 week course of allopurinol improves how well leg muscles work. To measure this participants will have a special scan, an MRI scan, of their leg, before during and after exercise which will be repeated after 20 weeks treatment with allopurinol or placebo. This study will also measure the ability of participants to perform a practical test of short exercises to see if these muscle benefits are translated into an improvement in how well they walk or perform simple exercises. The study wil be conducted in NHS Tayside.REC name
East of Scotland Research Ethics Service REC 2
REC reference
14/ES/1092
Date of REC Opinion
9 Dec 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion