Clinical trial NCT00444236: Effect of Acid Reflux on Respiratory Physiology During Exercise in Athletes With GER-Response to Acid Suppression
Official title: Effect of Acid Reflux on Respiratory Physiology During Exercise in Athletes With GER-Response to Acid Suppression
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: TERMINATED
Phase: PHASE1
Conditions: Exercise Triggered Asthma
Gastroesophageal Reflux
Keywords: asthma
GERD
reflux
exercise
Lead sponsor: University of Utah
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: AstraZeneca
First posted: 2007-03-07
Enrollment: 31
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: We propose that acid reflux affects respiratory dynamics (breathing) in patients who are exercising and that athletes improve their exercise capacity with acid suppression therapy. It is our intent to determine whether treatment of GER with strong acid suppression may alleviate symptoms, improve exercise capacity, and improve quality of life.

Detailed description: This is a randomized, blinded, cross-over trial. We plan to take athletes with classical GER, cough, shortness of breath, chest tightness during exercise and subject them to complete pulmonary function testing in conjunction with exercise and pH testing. We will assess whether such athletes experience an increase in reflux duration and episodes during exercise. The athletes will be randomized (in a cross over fashion) to acid suppression (BID Nexium 40 mg) or placebo for 10-12 weeks. Both the athletes and investigators will be blinded. After 10-12 weeks, exercise testing (ramp protocol with VO2 and anaerobic threshold) with concurrent respiratory function testing will be repeated along with symptom assessment. After a brief washout period of 1-2 weeks, the athletes will then cross-over to the other study medication for 10-12 weeks. Again, at the end of the study period, symptomatic relief as well as respiratory function improvement will be assessed by repeating the initial exercise regimen. The exercise regimens during these medication regimens will not be held stable as indirectly, as a results of "feeling better or worse" from the medication/placebo, these patients may increase/ decrease their exercise routine, resulting in changes in their overall endurance, anaerobic threshold, etc (our endpoints). By keeping the regimen stable, we do not allow for the changes to occur which are large enough to detect.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* We plan to take athletes (cyclists) with GER (heartburn symptoms on a daily-weekly basis which are either improved by a trial of acid suppression or objectively documented via pH/endoscopic testing- this may include during exercise) who experience one or more of the following symptoms during exercise, limiting their perceived ability to exercise to full capacity:

  * choking
  * cough
  * wheezing
  * shortness of breath
  * chest tightness during exercise
* Athletes will be defined as persons who exercise on a routine basis (at least 3 times a week on average) for at least the past 6 months.
* Subjects must be at least 18 years old.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Pregnancy
* Age less than 18 years or greater than 65 years
* Abnormal methacholine challenge tests will not exclude one from enrollment as (has been documented in a prior study) often patients with GER will have heightened bronchial reactivity.

Primary outcomes:
measure: To assess whether acid suppression results in improvement in respiratory parameters in symptomatic patients.
timeFrame: 6 months
Secondary outcomes:
measure: To assess whether acid reflux events increase during exercise in athletes with symptomatic heartburn or respiratory discomfort during exertion.
timeFrame: 6 months
measure: To assess whether long term acid suppression results in enhanced athletic performance
timeFrame: 6 months
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Salt Lake City
country: United States
facility: University of Utah Health Sciences Center
state: Utah
Study officials:
affiliation: University of Utah
name: Kathryn A Peterson, MD, MSci
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: