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Research Article: Protocol for the air purification for eosinophilic COPD study (APECS): a randomised controlled trial of home air filtration by HEPA

Date Published: 2024-01-18

Abstract:
Introduction Exposure to particulate matter (PM) pollution has been associated with lower lung function in adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Patients with eosinophilic COPD have been found to have higher levels of airway inflammation, greater responsiveness to anti-inflammatory steroid inhalers and a greater lung function response to PM pollution exposure compared with those with lower eosinophil levels. This study will evaluate if reducing home PM exposure by high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) air filtration improves respiratory health in eosinophilic COPD. Methods and analysis The Air Purification for Eosinophilic COPD Study (APECS) is a double-blinded randomised placebo-controlled trial that will enrol 160 participants with eosinophilic COPD living in the area of Boston, Massachusetts. Real and sham air purifiers will be placed in the bedroom and living rooms of the participants in the intervention and control group, respectively, for 12 months. The primary trial outcome will be the change in forced expiratory volume in 1?s (FEV 1 ). Lung function will be assessed twice preintervention and three times during the intervention phase (at 7?days, 6 months and 12 months postrandomisation). Secondary trial outcomes include changes in (1) health status by St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire; (2) respiratory symptoms by Breathlessness, Cough and Sputum Scale (BCSS); and (3) 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT). Inflammatory mediators were measured in the nasal epithelial lining fluid (NELF). Indoor PM will be measured in the home for the week preceding each study visit. The data will be analysed to contrast changes in outcomes in the intervention and control groups using a repeated measures framework. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre (protocol #2019P0001129). The results of the APECS trial will be presented at scientific conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals. Trial registration NCT04252235 . Version: October 2023.

Introduction:
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an incurable, progressive and debilitating disease affecting more than 15% of the population over age 40 in the USA. 1 In spite of smoking cessation strategies and medical advances in the treatment of COPD, COPD-related mortality has increased in the USA and is the third leading cause of death. 2 The clinical approach to treating COPD has changed in recent years based on the identification of different subtypes of COPD. Higher levels of eosinophils in the blood have…

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