High-Altitude Neurodegeneration Cohort (HANC) Study

Summary

Chronic physiological hypoxia has been implicated in the pathogenesis of multiple system atrophy (MSA), a fatal neurodegenerative disorder of unknown etiology. This prospective, multicenter, observational cohort study (Phase II of the High-Altitude Neurodegeneration Cohort \[HANC\] study) aims to validate the association between chronic hypoxia exposure and incident MSA risk. A total of 20,000 Han Chinese participants aged 40-75 years will be enrolled from 23 sites across China spanning an altitude gradient from 4 m to 4,500 m. All participants will undergo standardized in-person assessment including questionnaires, physical examination, blood collection, and 3-night consecutive nocturnal pulse oximetry monitoring. Participants are to be followed for incident MSA over 12 months. The primary outcome is newly diagnosed MSA (probable or definite per Gilman consensus criteria), adjudicated by an independent panel of movement disorders specialists. Secondary outcomes include the association between altitude strata and MSA incidence, the association between mean nocturnal SpO₂ and MSA incidence, and incidence rates across MSA subtypes (MSA-P and MSA-C).

Conditions

• Multiple System Atrophy

Interventions

OTHER

No Intervention: Observational Cohort

No intervention; observation of altitude exposure and SpO₂ levels

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Affiliated Hospital of Qinghai University

  collaborator OTHER

• Tibet Autonomous Region People's Hospital

  collaborator OTHER

• Kunming Medical University

  collaborator OTHER

• The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University

  collaborator OTHER

• First Affiliated Hospital of Suzhou Medical College

  collaborator OTHER

• First People's Hospital of Hangzhou

  collaborator OTHER

• The Affiliated Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School

  collaborator OTHER

• Guiyang No.1 People's Hospital

  collaborator OTHER

• Lanzhou University Second Hospital

  collaborator OTHER

• The First People's Hospital of Yinchuan

  collaborator OTHER

• Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University

  collaborator OTHER

• First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University

  collaborator OTHER

• The First People's Hospital of Xining City

  collaborator OTHER

• Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine

  collaborator OTHER

• West China Hospital

  lead OTHER

Eligibility

Min Age

40 Years

Max Age

75 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-06-13

Primary Completion

2027-07-30

Completion

2027-07-30

Countries

• China

Study Locations