Investigating chronic breathlessness in people living with HIV
Research type
Research Study
Full title
What are the causes of chronic breathlessness in people living with and without HIV in the ART era?
IRAS ID
236807
Contact name
Marc Lipman
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Breathlessness is a symptom that is associated with a significant reduction in quality of life and can reflect serious underlying pathology. People living with HIV have been demonstrated to report symptoms of breathlessness more frequently than matched controls. This finding persists in populations with access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) where the life expectancy of a person living with HIV approaches that of the general population. People living with HIV are known to have higher rates of smoking and illicit drug usage, but the finding of increased symptoms of breathlessness persists even after adjusting for these factors.
The relative importance of different causes of breathlessness is not fully understood in this population, with likely contributors being cardiac and respiratory disease, psychological factors and deconditioning (being generally unfit).
This is a pilot study to record the cause of breathlessness in a sample of 30 people living with HIV and compare with a group of 30 HIV negative participants matched by age, gender, smoking history and ethnic background.
REC name
London - West London & GTAC Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/LO/0819
Date of REC Opinion
13 Jul 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion