Volunteering for a vaccine trial at Southmead Hospital, Bristol, helped Duncan Robertson, 73, get a diagnosis for a condition that could have led to heart failure.
Duncan, a former gastroenterologist, had thought he was healthy when he signed up to take part in a research study supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The Nova-301 trial looked at whether a vaccine could protect people aged 60 and over against symptoms caused by the norovirus stomach bug.
Norovirus is one of the most common stomach bugs in the UK. It can spread easily and most cases are often in care homes and schools. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.
To join the Nova-301 trial, participants were required to be in good health.
Duncan said:
“As far as I was aware, I was fit and well. I’ve always had a fairly active lifestyle. I used to run regularly, even doing marathons and that sort of thing. Although you can’t really do that as you get older, I still regularly play golf and go wildlife watching in the local area.”
Before taking part in the trial, all potential participants had to complete a pre-screening visit at Southmead Hospital. This involved a physical examination and health checks to make sure that volunteers met the eligibility criteria for the study.
During these checks, the resident doctor noted a loud heart murmur which meant Duncan could not take part in the trial. He said:
“It was a surprise. I hadn’t had any symptoms and I didn’t know that anything was wrong with my heart. I realised I needed to follow this up and get it looked at.”
Duncan notified his GP and had further tests at the Royal United Hospital, Bath, before being diagnosed with mitral valve disease. This is when the heart valve stops working, which can cause it to leak, narrow or fail to close properly. Symptoms can include breathlessness, fatigue and heart palpitations, but many people have no symptoms initially.
Duncan said:
“In my case, the valve had lost its structure, which led to leaking and a prolapse. It can happen at any age, the valve just stops working. The doctors said if this hadn’t been identified it would have eventually led to heart failure.”
Almost 12 months to the day that Duncan attended his pre-screening visit, he had surgery at the Bristol Royal Infirmary to repair his heart valve. He said:
“After treatment I started a 3-month cardiac rehab programme to help me get back to full strength. Now I’m almost back to how I was before surgery. I’m playing golf again and even recently went to Scotland on a golf trip.”
He added:
“I’d definitely consider taking part in research in the future. It was really efficient and the staff were so polite. It was a good half day out. Research is how medical knowledge progresses. In the case of the study that I signed up for, norovirus is a pretty disabling condition that causes a lot of strife in hospitals, schools and workplaces. If we can come up with a vaccine for it then that’s very good progress.”
Jade King, Lead Nurse in the Vaccines Infectious Diseases and Commercial Research Team at Bristol NHS Foundation Trust said:
“There’s a variety of reasons people take part in research and a number of benefits that come from volunteering. Duncan’s story highlights an unexpected benefit that came from the additional monitoring that taking part in research often involves. The Be Part of Research service from the NIHR makes it easier than ever for people to find studies of interest to them in their local community.”
The NIHR is celebrating 20 years driving life-changing research that matters. From faster diagnoses to better treatments and improved quality of care, NIHR research changes lives across the UK. For research to happen faster and work for everyone, sign up to Be Part of Research.