Feasibility study of salivary pepsin measurement during AE-COPD
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A feasibility study of salivary pepsin measurement to assess airways reflux in exacerbating COPD patients.
IRAS ID
217685
Contact name
Michael Crooks
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 3 months, 29 days
Research summary
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a smoking related lung condition that commonly causes breathlessness and cough. These symptoms generally increase in severity over time and individuals with COPD frequently experience rapid worsening of symptoms termed acute exacerbations. Acute exacerbations of COPD often require additional treatment, lead to hospital attendance and can sometimes prove fatal. A number of causes of acute exacerbations of COPD have been described. These include infection and reflux and aspiration (a process where stomach contents travel up the gullet and into the airways). There is no established, non-invasive test to identify reflux and aspiration during acute exacerbations of COPD.
This feasibility study will determine whether measuring pepsin (a digestive enzyme normally found in peoples stomachs) in patients’ saliva during acute exacerbations of COPD can be used to differentiate between patients with reflux and aspiration and those without. This study will also provide preliminary data on the relationship between salivary pepsin and various features of acute exacerbations of COPD. The results will contribute to the design of a larger study of salivary pepsin in patients with COPD.
REC name
East Midlands - Derby Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/EM/0050
Date of REC Opinion
10 Feb 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion