PuMAH
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Pulmonary MRI in Antiretroviral treated HIV (PuMAH)
IRAS ID
168615
Contact name
Paul Collini
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 0 days
Research summary
Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has transformed the outlook for HIV-seropositive individuals. AIDS related infection and disease are now prevented and the majority of people live healthy lives. However, certain lung diseases that are seen in the general population are more common in HIV-seropositive individuals despite HAART. These include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD or emphysema), pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH, high blood pressure in the lungs).
It is not yet understood why. There may be ongoing inflammation in the lungs which are similar to those in people with COPD who do not have HIV, leading to the possibility that the two processes are connected.
To study the underlying mechanisms it will be helpful to detect damage early on and then study new medicines that could interrupt the process. Current tests only detect airways disease when already well established (spirometry) or involve damaging levels of x-ray radiation (CT lung scans) and PAH detection requires right heart catheterisation (insertion of a wire into the heart through a neck vein).
A new technique, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the lung combined with the inhalation of helium or xenon gases may help. It does not involve the use of any radiation and has been shown to be very safe. Crucially, it picks up early signs of damage to the airways in COPD and blood vessel changes of PAH.
Lung MRI is not yet in wide clinical use and has never been used to look at the lungs of HIV-seropositive individuals. This study will determine if this technique can be used in HIV-seropositive individuals and compare their lungs with HIV-seronegative individuals. If this study finds lung MRI to a sensitive, it would open the opportunity to use this technique in many more individuals with HIV and study different interventions on the development of these diseases.REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Sheffield Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/YH/0072
Date of REC Opinion
25 Mar 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion