Effects of Reducing Indoor Air Pollution on the Adult Asthmatic Response (INHALE 2)
Asthma

About this trial
This is an interventional supportive care trial for Asthma focused on measuring asthma, HEPA, air pollutants, lung function, home environment, respiratory symptoms
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- Age 18-50 years of age
- Non-smoker (<100 cigarettes in lifetime)
- Physician diagnosis of asthma
- Symptoms of asthma and/or reliever medication use in the past 6 months
- Living in the current residence >= 6 months within Baltimore
- Enrollment in, and completion of, the observational environmental asthma study "Inhale 1"
Exclusion Criteria:
- Current diagnosis of another major pulmonary disease, other significant morbidity
- Pregnancy (as defined by a positive urine pregnancy test at screening of all women of child-bearing potential)
- Planning to relocate residence or activity that necessitates travel away from home for prolonged period of time during the study period
- Current use of an air cleaner in the home
Sites / Locations
- Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
- Johns Hopkins Hospital
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Experimental
Sham Comparator
Air cleaner then sham air cleaner
Sham air cleaner then air cleaner
A High Efficiency Particulate Air Cleaner (HEPA) intervention will be placed in the participant's home for one month. During the last week of the month, health assessments will be conducted, which include in-home health questionnaires, symptom-, and activity- diaries/recalls, blood, and hand-held spirometry. Participants will also be asked to wear a light backpack with air monitoring devices during the course of the day during the last week in order to measure participants' exposures to pollutants. Finally, at the end of the month, participants will be asked to report to the Johns Hopkins outpatient endoscopy suite for bronchoscopy, during which airway sampling will occur under conscious sedation. For the participants who started in the experimental arm, after this one month intervention period, they will then enter a wash-out period where no intervention or outcome measures are undertaken for at least one month prior to cross-over to the sham comparator arm.
A sham air cleaner will be placed in the participant's home for one month. During the last week of the month, health assessments will be conducted, which include in-home health questionnaires, symptom-, and activity- diaries/recalls, blood, and hand-held spirometry. Participants will also be asked to wear a light backpack with air monitoring devices during the course of the day during the last week in order to measure participants' exposures to pollutants. Finally, at the end of the month, participants will be asked to report to the Johns Hopkins outpatient endoscopy suite for bronchoscopy, during which airway sampling will occur under conscious sedation. For the participants who started in the sham comparator arm, after this one month intervention period, they will then enter a wash-out period where no intervention or outcome measures are undertaken for at least one month prior to cross-over to the experimental arm.