Non-invasive Parameters of Pulmonary Hypertension in Scleroderma
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Identifying non-invasive diagnostic and prognostic indicators of pulmonary hypertension in patients with systemic sclerosis
IRAS ID
276380
Contact name
Jay Suntharalingam
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Royal United Hospitals, Bath NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
10 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Pulmonary Hypertension (high blood pressure in the blood vessels that carry blood to your lungs) is a common and sadly frequently fatal complication of Systemic Sclerosis, an autoimmune condition. Current screening methods to test for the presence of Pulmonary Hypertension in patients with Systemic Sclerosis are imperfect, and the definitive diagnostic test (Right heart catheterisation) is invasive, carries its own risks and is often poorly tolerated by patients. The purpose of this study is to identify early non-invasive indicators of the development of pulmonary hypertension in patients with systemic sclerosis, and to try to better understand the processes which cause it.
The reason why pulmonary hypertension develops in Systemic Sclerosis is not clearly understood, and we hope through our study to add to the current understanding of the nature and role of the bodies’ inflammatory processes in the damage and remodelling of the lungs’ blood vessels which takes place in Systemic Sclerosis.
We will explore three main areas of investigation:
1) Identifying potential blood tests which can be used as markers of inflammation and blood vessel remodelling, which may allow valuable information about a patient’s condition to be gained from a simple blood test.
2) Examining the small blood vessels in patients’ nailbeds, to see if these give us useful information about the blood vessels in their lungs.
3) Investigating whether the bacteria and organisms which naturally occur in people’s mouths, skin and gut are different in people who have systemic sclerosis-associated pulmonary hypertension, and if so what the implications of these differences might be.Developing better diagnostic and predictive tests in systemic sclerosis-associated pulmonary hypertension would improve our ability to start potentially life-extending therapies sooner, and to monitor people’s response to treatment.
REC name
London - Surrey Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/LO/0212
Date of REC Opinion
23 Apr 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion