Role of Endorphins in the Perception of Dyspnea in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2007-05-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Endorphins are naturally occurring narcotic substances that are released when individuals
perform exercise. The hypothesis of the study is that endorphins reduce the severity of
breathlessness during exercise in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
The initial five visits include familiarization and validation of a computerized system for
patients to report dyspnea and leg discomfort continuously during exercise testing.
At Visits 6 and 7 blood is drawn to measure serum endorphin levels pre-exercise, end
exercise, and 30 minutes after exercise. Normal saline or naloxone is given intravenously 5
minutes prior to exercise in a double-blinded design. The primary outcome is the slope of
oxygen consumption - dyspnea.