Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive
Conditions
Keywords
Paranasal Sinus Diseases, Nasal Obstruction
Brief summary
The study is based on the theory of a unified airway that considers the nose and paranasal sinuses together with lower airways as one integrated unit. The upper and lower respiratory tracts function as an interdependent physiologic mechanism, and stimuli that trigger changes in one portion of the airway, can provoke similar changes throughout the airway. This is well documented in asthmatic patients but documented poorly in patients suffering from chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD). COPD is associated with sinonasal symptoms and decreased quality of life. Although nasal involvement has been found to directly affect the lower airway, sinonasal disease is under-diagnosed and under-treated in patients with COPD. This study is embedded in a larger project where the goal is to gain knowledge supporting the theory of a unified airway in patients with COPD. Here sinonasal, pulmonary and generic health related quality of life will be studied in a group of patients with COPD versus a control group. The severity of nasal airway obstruction will be linked to the the severity of pulmonary airway obstruction. Assessment of pathological changes in the nose with nasal endoscopy, as well as performing a nasal cytological brushing for the identification of nasal inflammatory responses in the nose, will be conducted in both the control and study group.
Interventions
OTHERUpper airway assessment, including nasal biopsy
Sponsors
St. Olavs Hospital
Haukeland University Hospital
University of Copenhagen
Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Study design
Observational model
CASE_CONTROL
Time perspective
CROSS_SECTIONAL
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
40 Years to 80 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Diagnosis of COPD: all stages * Healthy individuals for the control group
Exclusion criteria
both groups: * asthma * systemic disease such as Cystic Fibrosis, Kartagener syndrome, sarcoidosis * upper airway infection during the last 2 weeks * COPD exacerbation during the last 6 weeks * previous surgery in the nose and paranasal sinuses * ongoing treatment for malignant disease * severe depression, Alzheimers disease and Parkinson's disease * pregnancy or nursing
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| pathological changes in the nose assessed with nasal endoscopy | 4 hours |
| inflammatory responses in the nose identified by nasal cytological brushing | 4 hours |
Countries
Norway
Outcome results
None listed