Clinical Trial: Chronic Mountain Sickness, Systemic Vascular Function

Study Status: Completed
Recruit Status: Unknown status
Study Type: Interventional

Official Title: Chronic Hypoxemia and Systemic Vascular Function

Brief Summary:

Diseases associated with chronic hypoxemia like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or emphysema, represent major medical and socio-economical problems and one of the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the western countries. Recently, is has been shown that cardiovascular (CV) diseases contribute highly to the morbidity and mortality of these patients. Furthermore, increasing evidence suggest that systemic vascular dysfunction play a central role in the mediation of the increased CV risk in patients with COPD. However the underlying mechanisms of vascular dysfunction in these patients are incompletely understood. Chronic mountain sickness (CMS) is characterized by chronic hypoxemia related at least in part to hypoventilation; it affects relatively young adults, and may therefore allow to study the effects of chronic hypoxemia. The investigators therefore will assess systemic vascular function and test the hypothesis that increased oxidative stress is responsible for this dysfunction. Since polyglobulia is a hallmark of chronic hypoxemia and has been suggested to affect vascular function, the investigators will test the effects of hemodilution on vascular function. Then, the investigators will test the effects of acute oxygen application and 1 month antioxidative dietary supplement on vascular function.

Preliminary data suggest that offspring of CMS patients may display pulmonary and systemic vascular dysfunction. Antioxidant administration is know to improve vascular function. We will test the acute effect of Vitamin C in this setting.

Finally, since there is considerable inter-individual variability of pulmonary artery pressure among CMS patients and the presence of a patent foramen ovale (PFO)is increased in clinical conditions associated with pulmonary hypertension and hypoxemia, we will assess the pre

Detailed Summary:
Sponsor: University of Lausanne Hospitals

Current Primary Outcome: Endothelial Function [ Time Frame: 1 month ]

Original Primary Outcome: Same as current

Current Secondary Outcome:

Original Secondary Outcome:

Information By: University of Lausanne Hospitals

Dates:
Date Received: August 16, 2010
Date Started: October 2008
Date Completion: December 2013
Last Updated: September 5, 2013
Last Verified: September 2013