Effect of Intravenous Iron (Ferinject®) on Exercise Capacity and Quality of Life of Stable COPD Patients
Status:
Unknown status
Trial end date:
2017-02-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Disordered iron metabolism characterizes an important determinant of impaired exercise
tolerance and work capacity. Iron-deficiency anemia commonly features impaired aerobic
capacity caused by decreased oxygen carrying capacity, and has been associated with a
negative effect on dyspnea and walking distance.
Apart from that, iron deficiency without anemia was shown to affect endurance and energetic
efficiency via decreased tissue oxidative capacity. Consequently, depleted iron stores could
be capable of causing fatigue, breathlessness and impaired exercise tolerance, which are
common features of chronic cardiopulmonary diseases like chronic heart failure (CHF) and COPD
(Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). Indeed, a current surge of interest aimed at
potential underlying determinants in CHF and COPD independent of the primarily disordered
organ.
Recent studies identified iron deficiency without anemia as an independent factor of reduced
exercise intolerance in CHF as well as in COPD. Moreover, intravenous iron application
significantly improved exercise capacity in CHF patients with iron deficiency in presence as
well as in absence of anemia. Comparable to CHF, the daily living of patients with COPD is
compromised by impaired exercise tolerance.
However, airflow limitation, as the foremost characteristic of COPD shows only weak
associations with exercise capacity. In line with that, exercise capacity showed no
remarkable improvement in lung transplant recipients, underlining the presence of systemic
determinants of limited exercise tolerance like iron deficiency. The investigators showed
that iron deficiency is present in 50% of stable COPD patients (unpublished data), which is
according to recently published data.
The investigators presume that iron deficiency contributes to limited exercise capacity in
COPD patients. Thus, the aim of this study is to determine whether iv iron is associated with
increases exercise capacity in COPD.
Therefore the investigators hypothesize that filling up depleted iron storages will increase
exercise capacity, measured by the 6-MWT (Minute Walking Test).