NCT01847352

Iron Status and Hypoxic Pulmonary Vascular Responses

Effect of Endogenous Iron Status on Hypoxic Pulmonary Vascular Responses and Their Attenuation by Intravenous Iron

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 31 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Oxford · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

On exposure to hypoxia (low oxygen) the normal response is for pulmonary arterial systolic blood pressure (PASP, blood pressure through the lungs) to increase. We have previously shown that raising iron by giving an infusion of iron into a vein reduces this pressure rise and that lowering iron by giving a drug that binds iron, magnifies this response. This is potentially a clinically important observation since iron-deficient people may be at increased risk of pulmonary hypertension if exposed transiently or permanently to hypoxia due to lung disease or residence at high altitude; furthermore if this were true then intravenous iron could be an important treatment in this patient group in the event of hypoxic exposure. The observed effects of iron on PASP are likely to be because iron levels affect oxygen sensing. Low iron levels make the body behave as if exposed to low oxygen by inhibiting the breakdown of the family of oxygen-sensing transcription factors, 'hypoxia inducible factor' or HIF. This includes one of the body's normal responses to low oxygen levels - raising blood pressure through the lungs. This study will answer the question (1) do iron-deficient volunteers have a greater rise in PASP with hypoxia than those who are iron-replete, and (2) does giving intravenous iron cause a greater reduction in the rise in PASP in those who are iron-deficient than iron-replete? The purpose of this study is not to test the safety or clinical efficacy of iron which is already known.

Conditions

• Lung Hypoxia
• Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
• Iron Deficiency

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DRUG	Intravenous administration of ferric carboxymaltose	Intravenous administration of ferric carboxymaltose 15mg/kg up to a maximum dose of 1000mg
OTHER	Subacute hypoxic exposures	Exposure to six hours of isocapnic hypoxia with end-tidal partial pressure of oxygen clamped at 55 Torr, with and without prior iron infusion

Timeline

• Start date: 2013-02-01
• Primary completion: 2014-04-01
• Completion: 2014-04-01
• First posted: 2013-05-06
• Last updated: 2016-05-06

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United Kingdom