Eosinopenia in Severe COPD Exacerbation

NCT ID: NCT06188065

Last Updated: 2025-03-28

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Total Enrollment

200 participants

Study Classification

OBSERVATIONAL

Study Start Date

2024-01-22

Study Completion Date

2026-07-31

Brief Summary

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The goals of this observational study are to identify factors independently associated with admission eosinopenia in patients with a severe exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and to determine when blood eosinophil count (BEC) will recover to baseline stable state in patients who are admitted to hospital with a severe exacerbation of COPD and associated eosinopenia.

The main aims of the study are to:

1. Identify demographic, physiological and clinical factors independently associated with admission eosinopenia in patients with a severe exacerbation of COPD
2. Assess the time to recovery from eosinopenia to stable BEC following a severe exacerbation of COPD

Detailed Description

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Blood eosinophils are a type of white blood cell that play a role in the immune system including fighting infection. They have numerous roles but are primarily involved in inflammation. They are recruited from the blood into sites of inflammation.

The blood eosinophil count (BEC) can be used as a biomarker to predict whether the addition of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) to long-acting bronchodilators (LABD) will be beneficial in reducing future COPD exacerbations. This association is based on BEC being measured when patients are clinically stable. Patients with a higher BEC are more likely to gain these benefits where as conversely, patients with a lower BEC are less likely to benefit and the risk of side effects such as pneumonia will likely outweigh any potential benefit. Current national and international COPD guidelines suggest the use of BEC as a biomarker to help inform the decision of whether to commence or withdraw ICS, but do not specify measuring BEC at a time of clinical stability.

Decisions regarding changes to management are often made in the acute setting. Eosinophils transiently drop to very low levels in half of patients who are admitted to hospital with exacerbations of COPD. Measuring BEC during an acute illness risks incorrectly identifying all patients who may benefit from the introduction of an ICS. In the current BEC COPD study, reliance on admission and discharge BEC inappropriately denied ICS to 47% and 33% of patients respectively compared to a confirmed stable-state measure.

There are co-primary aims for this study. Firstly, the investigators wish to determine when BEC will recover to stable state following a hospital admission for exacerbation of COPD. Determining this will inform healthcare professionals of the optimum time to measure BEC for use as a biomarker when making decisions related to management escalation. Based on the results of BEC COPD, it is likely that an increased number of patients will be identified as being above the BEC threshold and therefore likely to benefit from ICS when time is allowed for BEC to recover to stable state. Appropriate introduction of ICS in this patient group will reduce exacerbation and hospital re-admission rates and thus may reduce overall mortality within this high-risk group. This should reduce the burden of COPD on patient's health, quality of life and the NHS.

Eosinopenia during severe exacerbation of COPD is associated with increased in-hospital and one year mortality. Treatment with oral corticosteroids does not fully explain the mechanism behind the development of eosinopenia, with the phenomenon being less common on discharge compared to admission despite inpatient oral corticosteroid treatment. The investigators other co-primary aim is to identify demographic, physiological and clinical factors independently associated with admission eosinopenia in patients with a severe exacerbation of COPD, providing useful mechanistic information regarding the relationship between BEC and short-term mortality.

The hypothesis for this study is that 90% of participants who are admitted to hospital with a severe exacerbation of COPD and eosinopenia will have recovery of their BEC to baseline stable state within 4 weeks. The investigators also hypothesize that there are demographic, physiological and clinical factors independently associated with admission eosinopenia other than prior systemic corticosteroid use.

Conditions

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Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Study Design

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Observational Model Type

COHORT

Study Time Perspective

PROSPECTIVE

Study Groups

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Participants with severe exacerbation of COPD and eosinophils < 0.05 x 10^9/L

Participants to be included in the co-primary outcomes for the time to recovery from eosinopenia analysis as well as the analysis to identify independent factors associated with eosinopenia on admission in patients with a severe exacerbation of COPD. This group of participants will also be included in all secondary outcomes.

Blood eosinophil count

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

To determine the time it takes for blood eosinophil count to recover to baseline stable state following severe exacerbation of COPD associated with admission eosinopenia and to explore independent factors associated with admission eosinopenia.

Participants with severe exacerbation of COPD and eosinophils >= 0.05 x 10^9/L

Participants will be included in the co-primary outcome to identify independent factors associated with eosinopenia on admission in patients with a severe exacerbation of COPD. This group of participants will also be included in some of the secondary outcomes.

Blood eosinophil count

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

To determine the time it takes for blood eosinophil count to recover to baseline stable state following severe exacerbation of COPD associated with admission eosinopenia and to explore independent factors associated with admission eosinopenia.

Interventions

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Blood eosinophil count

To determine the time it takes for blood eosinophil count to recover to baseline stable state following severe exacerbation of COPD associated with admission eosinopenia and to explore independent factors associated with admission eosinopenia.

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Admitted to hospital with primary clinical diagnosis of exacerbation of COPD\*
* Smoking history of at least 10 pack years
* Airflow obstruction: FEV1/FVC ratio \< 0.7 confirmed on historic or inpatient spirometry
* Capacity to give informed consent to participate


* Eosinopenia on admission
* Uneventful recovery\*

* Eosinopenia on admission who do not receive a further course of systemic corticosteroids or require emergency hospital admission for an acute illness in the six weeks following admission to hospital with a severe exacerbation of COPD.

Exclusion Criteria

* Parasitic infection, systemic fungal infection (excluding infection limited to nails or skin), eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis, hypereosinophilic syndrome or other conditions associated with a high eosinophil count#
* Active malignancy
* Maintenance oral prednisolone or other systemic steroids, anti-interleukin 5 therapy or other medication known to influence eosinophils
* Patients with poor venous access
* Investigator confirmed history of asthma
* Non-COPD related health problems which in the view of the primary investigator may compromise the conduct and completion of the study

ADDITIONAL CRITERIA FOR THE TIME TO RECOVERY FROM EOSINOPENIA ANALYSIS ONLY
Minimum Eligible Age

35 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Newcastle University

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Chiesi UK

INDUSTRY

Sponsor Role collaborator

GlaxoSmithKline

INDUSTRY

Sponsor Role collaborator

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Stephen Bourke, MBChB, PhD

Role: STUDY_CHAIR

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Peter Ireland, MBBS

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Locations

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Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

North Shields, , United Kingdom

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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United Kingdom

Central Contacts

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Stephen Bourke, MBChB, PhD

Role: CONTACT

0191 293 4351

Peter Ireland, MBBS

Role: CONTACT

Facility Contacts

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Peter Ireland, MBBS

Role: primary

References

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Bafadhel M, Peterson S, De Blas MA, Calverley PM, Rennard SI, Richter K, Fageras M. Predictors of exacerbation risk and response to budesonide in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a post-hoc analysis of three randomised trials. Lancet Respir Med. 2018 Feb;6(2):117-126. doi: 10.1016/S2213-2600(18)30006-7. Epub 2018 Jan 10.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 29331313 (View on PubMed)

Singh D, Agusti A, Martinez FJ, Papi A, Pavord ID, Wedzicha JA, Vogelmeier CF, Halpin DMG. Blood Eosinophils and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease Science Committee 2022 Review. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2022 Jul 1;206(1):17-24. doi: 10.1164/rccm.202201-0209PP. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 35737975 (View on PubMed)

Suissa S, Ernst P. Precision Medicine Urgency: The Case of Inhaled Corticosteroids in COPD. Chest. 2017 Aug;152(2):227-231. doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2017.05.020. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 28797382 (View on PubMed)

Global Strategy for Prevention, Diagnosis and Management of COPD: 2023 Report. Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease, 2023.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Steer J, Gibson J, Bourke SC. The DECAF Score: predicting hospital mortality in exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Thorax. 2012 Nov;67(11):970-6. doi: 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2012-202103. Epub 2012 Aug 15.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 22895999 (View on PubMed)

Prasad A, Echevarria C, Steer J, Bourke S C. Blood eosinophil counts during severe exacerbations do not reflect stable state inflammatory phenotype in COPD. European Respiratory Journal 2022 60: 1870.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Lipson DA, Barnhart F, Brealey N, Brooks J, Criner GJ, Day NC, Dransfield MT, Halpin DMG, Han MK, Jones CE, Kilbride S, Lange P, Lomas DA, Martinez FJ, Singh D, Tabberer M, Wise RA, Pascoe SJ; IMPACT Investigators. Once-Daily Single-Inhaler Triple versus Dual Therapy in Patients with COPD. N Engl J Med. 2018 May 3;378(18):1671-1680. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1713901. Epub 2018 Apr 18.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 29668352 (View on PubMed)

Lipson DA, Crim C, Criner GJ, Day NC, Dransfield MT, Halpin DMG, Han MK, Jones CE, Kilbride S, Lange P, Lomas DA, Lettis S, Manchester P, Martin N, Midwinter D, Morris A, Pascoe SJ, Singh D, Wise RA, Martinez FJ. Reduction in All-Cause Mortality with Fluticasone Furoate/Umeclidinium/Vilanterol in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2020 Jun 15;201(12):1508-1516. doi: 10.1164/rccm.201911-2207OC.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 32162970 (View on PubMed)

Echevarria C, Steer J, Prasad A, Quint JK, Bourke SC. Admission blood eosinophil count, inpatient death and death at 1 year in exacerbating patients with COPD. Thorax. 2023 Nov;78(11):1090-1096. doi: 10.1136/thorax-2022-219463. Epub 2023 Jul 24.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 37487711 (View on PubMed)

Provided Documents

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Document Type: Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan

View Document

Other Identifiers

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SCI65

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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