Interoception and Symptom Perception in Acute COPD Exacerbation

NCT07719231 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: TopkapiÜni
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 50
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Interoception refers to the process of perceiving and interpreting internal physiological signals and plays a central role in symptom perception. In conditions with a high symptom burden such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), clinical features including dyspnea perception, depression, and sleep quality may be influenced not only by disease severity but also by the interpretation of internal bodily signals. Recent evidence suggests that respiratory-related internal signals are transmitted to the central nervous system through multiple afferent pathways and integrated within cortical and subcortical networks, contributing to subjective experiences such as dyspnea. In this context, dyspnea perception may arise from the interaction between disease severity and interoceptive processes. Depressive symptoms and impaired sleep quality are also closely associated with interoceptive processes and may contribute to the perception of respiratory symptoms. However, studies simultaneously examining interoception, disease severity, dyspnea perception, depression, and sleep quality in hospitalized patients with acute COPD exacerbation are limited. This prospective, observational, cross-sectional study will include 50 individuals aged 40 years and older who are hospitalized with acute COPD exacerbation in a Chest Diseases clinic. Data will be collected at a single time point when patients are clinically stable, without interfering with routine clinical care. Participants will be recruited using a consecutive sampling method. Sociodemographic and clinical data will be obtained from patient records and a structured data collection form. Disease severity will be assessed using oxygen requirement, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and arterial blood gas values when available. Interoception will be evaluated using the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA-2). Symptom burden will be assessed with the COPD Assessment Test (CAT), dyspnea with the Modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) scale, sleep quality with the Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire (RCSQ), and depressive symptoms with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale - Depression subscale (HADS-D). Statistical analyses will be performed using IBM SPSS Statistics software. Relationships between variables will be analyzed using Pearson or Spearman correlation depending on data distribution, with a significance level of p\<0.05.

Conditions

Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease; Interoceptive Awareness

Keywords

Acute Exacerbation of COPD; Interoceptive Awareness; Dyspnea Perception; Sleep Quality

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (5)

• Interoception Assessment

  Interoception will be assessed using the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA), a validated self-report questionnaire that evaluates multiple dimensions of interoceptive processing, including awareness of bodily sensations, emotional and attentional responses to these sensations, and self-regulation abilities; the MAIA consists of several subscales scored on a Likert-type scale (typically 0-5), with higher scores indicating greater interoceptive awareness in the corresponding domain.

  baseline

• COPD Symptom Burden Assessment

  COPD symptom burden will be assessed using the COPD Assessment Test (CAT), an 8-item patient-reported questionnaire; each item is scored on a 6-point Likert scale (0-5), yielding a total score ranging from 0 to 40, with higher scores indicating greater symptom burden and disease impact.

  baseline

• Dyspnea Severity Assessment

  Dyspnea severity will be assessed using the Modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) scale, a widely used grading system that classifies breathlessness from grade 0 to 4 based on activity limitation, with higher scores indicating more severe dyspnea.

  baseline

• Sleep Quality Assessment

  Sleep quality will be assessed using the Richard-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire (RCSQ), a patient-reported instrument evaluating perceived sleep depth, sleep latency, number of awakenings, sleep efficiency, and overall sleep quality; each item is rated on a visual analog scale (0-100), with higher scores indicating better perceived sleep quality.

  baseline

• Anxiety and Depression Assessment

  Anxiety and depression will be assessed separately using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), which consists of two subscales-HADS-Anxiety (HADS-A) and HADS-Depression (HADS-D)-each including 7 items scored from 0 to 3, yielding subscale scores ranging from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating greater symptom severity.

  baseline

Study Arms (1)

Acute COPD Exacerbation

Hospitalized Patients With Acute COPD Exacerbation

Other: No Intervention: Observational Cohort

Interventions

No Intervention: Observational Cohort OTHER

Participants' sleep quality, COPD symptom burden, dyspnea severity, anxiety and depression levels, and interoceptive processing will be assessed cross-sectionally.

Acute COPD Exacerbation

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 40 Years - 75 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population consists of adults aged 40 years and older who are hospitalized with a physician-confirmed diagnosis of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in a Chest Diseases clinic. Participants are recruited using a consecutive sampling method and include individuals who are clinically stable at the time of assessment.

You may qualify if:

• Physician-confirmed diagnosis of acute exacerbation of COPD with hospitalization
• Age 40 years or older
• Conscious and able to communicate
• Willing to participate and provide written informed consent

You may not qualify if:

• Presence of delirium or severe cognitive impairment
• Requirement for invasive mechanical ventilation
• Clinical instability preventing safe administration of assessment tools
• History of severe neurological or psychiatric disorders
• Any history of malignancy
• Presence of pneumonia
• History of stroke

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Saglik Bilimleri Universitesi: lead

Study Sites (1)

Goztepe Prof Dr Suleyman Yalcin City Hospital

Istanbul, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Sleep Disorders, Intrinsic; Dyssomnias; Sleep Wake Disorders; Nervous System Diseases; Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• Gamze Koyutürk, Asst Prof

  Topkapı University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Mehmet Burak Uyaroğlu, Asst Prof

  Fenerbahce University

  STUDY DIRECTOR

• Hüsna Güzel

  Fenerbahce University

  STUDY CHAIR

• Yiğit Ege Güney

  Topkapı University

  STUDY CHAIR

• Esra Ertan Yazar, Prof Dr

  Medeniyet University

  STUDY CHAIR

Central Study Contacts

Gamze Koyutürk, PhD

CONTACT

+905065798671; gamzealtinkaynak@gmail.com

Mehmet Burak Uyaroğlu, Asst Prof

CONTACT

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Target Duration: 1 Day
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 6, 2026
• First Posted: July 22, 2026
• Study Start: July 20, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 20, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 25, 2026
• Last Updated: July 22, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-07

Locations

TU (1)