Conditions: Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: CROSSOVER
Enrollment: 13
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
The main purpose of this study is to determine whether pharmacological treatment with N-acetylcysteine improves central and peripheral cardiorespiratory control and physical capacity in COPD patients with mild-to-moderate airflow obstruction.

Detailed description:
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Cardiovascular complications constitute the main causes of poor physical capacity and healthcare resources utilization in COPD. There is emerging evidence that these impairments have a major impact on the health of patients with mild-to-moderate disease, the largest sub-population of COPD. This important problem, however, is currently neglected as no specific pharmacological treatment is offered to these patients. Recent studies indicate that vascular abnormalities are mediated, at least in part, by circulating inflammatory substances and direct damage of the arteries by oxygen radicals (oxidative stress). The current investigation will test the hypothesis that N-acetylcysteine (NAC), via its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, improves systemic vascular function and physical capacity in COPD patients with mild-to-moderate airflow obstruction.

Arms:
arm 1: Pharmacological treatment with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) pills arm 2: Treatment with placebo pills

Interventions: intervention 1: N-acetylcysteine intervention 2: Placebo
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Pharmacological treatment with N-acetylcysteine (NAC): 3 pills of 600 mg of NAC/day orally for 4 days prior to experimental procedures and 1 pill of 600 mg of NAC orally on the day of the experiment. intervention 2: Placebo: 3 placebo pills/day orally for 4 days prior to experimental procedures and 1 placebo pill orally on the day of the experiment.

Protocol document: