Pilot Study of Pioglitazone for the Treatment of Moderate to Severe Asthma in Obese Asthmatics

Summary

Asthmatics who are significantly overweight tend to have more severe symptoms, more flare ups, and are more likely to have poorly-controlled asthma when compared to other asthmatics. Researchers believe this occurs because excess adipose tissue (fat) in the body can cause higher-than-normal levels of leptin and lower-than-normal levels of adiponectin in the blood. The researchers of this study are testing a medication called pioglitazone in overweight asthmatics because they believe it can help regulate leptin and adiponectin and that this may improve symptoms of asthma.

Timeline

Start

2009-10

Primary completion

2012-04

Completion

2012-04

Publications

• Background Hashimoto Y, Nakahara K. Improvement of asthma after administration of pioglitazone. Diabetes Care. 2002 Feb;25(2):401. doi: 10.2337/diacare.25.2.401. No abstract available.
• Background Lee KS, Kim SR, Park SJ, Park HS, Min KH, Jin SM, Lee MK, Kim UH, Lee YC. Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-gamma modulates reactive oxygen species generation and activation of nuclear factor-kappaB and hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha in allergic airway disease of mice. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2006 Jul;118(1):120-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2006.03.021. Epub 2006 May 19.
• Dixon AE, Subramanian M, DeSarno M, Black K, Lane L, Holguin F. A pilot randomized controlled trial of pioglitazone for the treatment of poorly controlled asthma in obesity. Respir Res. 2015 Nov 26;16:143. doi: 10.1186/s12931-015-0303-6.

Drugs

Indications