Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a worldwide prevalent disease. During recent years, increasing attention has been directed to the importance of the contribution of small airways in respiratory diseases. The small airways (usually defined as those with an internal diameter of \<2 mm) are recognized as the major site of resistance to airflow in obstructive lung disease. Although small airway disease is known in chronic airway diseases, the importance of small airway dysfunction on disease control, exacerbations and quality of life, and the importance of taking place among treatable targets is not clear. Therefore, our aim in the study is to determine the frequency of small airway dysfunction in COPD. Our secondary aim is to evaluate the role of small airway dysfunction in disease severity, disease phenotypes, disease control, quality of life and its effect on predicting the risk of exacerbation and its role among treatable targets in chronic airway diseases.
Who can participate
Age range
18 Years
Sex
ALL
See this in plain English?
AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.
Inclusion Criteria:
COPD group
* Participants who applied to the chest diseases clinic of Mersin University Hospital, between October 1, 2019 and April 1, 2020
* Participants who were diagnosed COPD with spirometry test
* Reading and signing Informed Consent Form
* Participants must be older than 18 years
Healthy control group with a history of smoking
* To apply to the chest diseases clinic of Mersin University Hospital between October 1, 2019 and April 1, 2020
* Reading and signing informed consent form
* Participants must be older than 18 years
* Must have no lung disease
* Must have 10 packs / year or more than 10 packs / year smoking history
Healthy control group without smoking history
* To apply to the chest diseases clinic of Mersin University Hospital between October 1, 2019 and April 1, 2020
* Reading and signing informed consent form
* Participants must be older than 18 years
* Must have no lung disease
* Must have no smoking history
Exclusion Criteria:
* Participants who do not sign the Informed Consent Form
* Under the age of 18 years
* Pregnant women
* Participants who with a history of cancer in the past 5 years
* Participants who previously had lung surgery
* Participants who with Interstitial Lung Disease
* Participants who with respiratory muscle disease
* Participants who with active pulmonary tuberculosis
* Participants who can not perform respiratory function tests
Questions worth asking your doctor
Bring these to your next appointment. They're a starting point for a shared conversation — not a sign you qualify or a recommendation to enrol.
1Based on my diagnosis and history, is this trial worth exploring for me — or is there a standard treatment we should try first?
2What does this trial's phase tell us about how much is already known about its safety and benefit?
3What would taking part actually involve for me — visits, tests, time, and travel?
4What are the known and possible risks or side effects I should weigh, and how would they be monitored?
5If this trial isn't the right fit, what other options or trials would you suggest I look into?
Generated to help you prepare — always confirm anything about your own eligibility and care with the study team and your doctor.
Questions for the trial coordinator
The trial coordinator is the person who runs the study day to day. These cover the practical side — logistics, costs, and what taking part would actually mean for your life. The study team confirms whether you meet the criteria; these are questions to ask, not a sign you qualify.
1What does taking part actually involve week to week — how many visits, where, and how long does each one take?
2What costs are covered by the study, and what might I have to pay for myself, including travel, parking, or time off work?
3What happens during screening, and what happens if the study team confirms I don't meet the criteria after those tests?
4Who pays for the scans, blood work, and other tests the trial requires — the study, my insurance, or me?
5How will being in the trial affect my regular care, and will my own doctor stay informed and involved?
6Can I leave the trial at any point if I change my mind, and what would happen to my care if I do?
A starting point for the conversation — always confirm anything about your own eligibility, costs, and care with the study team and your doctor.
What they're measuring
1
Small airway dysfunction will be evaluated by performing impulse oscillometry test.
Timeframe: through study completion, an average of 1 year
2
Small airway dysfunction will be evaluated by thorax computed tomography.
Timeframe: through study completion, an average of 1 year
3
Small airway dysfunction will be evaluated by body plethysmography test.
Timeframe: through study completion, an average of 1 year
4
Symptoms will be evaluated by Modified Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale (mMRC).
Timeframe: through study completion, an average of 1 year
5
The number of moderate and severe exacerbations over a 1 year period will be recorded.
Timeframe: through study completion, an average of 1 year
6
Forced expiratory volume in 1 second (fev1) change will be evaluated by spirometric pulmonary function test.
Timeframe: through study completion, an average of 1 year