NCT01703013

The Significance of Defensin Alpha 4 in the Pathophysiology of the Adrenal Insufficiency in Inflammatory Lung Diseases

• Status: Unknown
• Phase: —
• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 75 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Cantonal Hospital of St. Gallen · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 80 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The pathophysiology of the adrenal insufficiency of patients with critical diseases remains unclear. In a prior exploratory study investigating patients with exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the investigators demonstrated a highly significant correlation between the expression level of Defensin-alpha 4 (DEFA4) mRNA in blood and the adrenal function assessed via low-dose ACTH tests. The aim of this prospective study is to demonstrate that DEFA4 measured both at the mRNA level (RT-PCR) and at the protein level (Western blot/Elisa) is a reliable biomarker for the prediction of adrenal insufficiency in inflammatory lung diseases (patients with COPD and pneumonia).

Conditions

• Adrenal Insufficiency
• Inflammatory Lung Diseases

Timeline

• Start date: 2013-01-01
• First posted: 2012-10-10
• Last updated: 2012-10-10