Active clinical trials for "Asthma"

The prevalence of asthma and allergic diseases is increasing worldwide. Infections and vaccinations in childhood may have an impact on the subsequent development of asthma and allergy. In Guinea-Bissau, the investigators previously found that Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine was associated with reduction in atopy. Since then the investigators have conducted a randomised trial of BCG vaccine given at birth to low birth-weight infants. The present study aims to follow up children enrolled in the BCG randomised trial to assess for asthma and allergy later in childhood. Based on previous observations, the investigators expect children allocated to receive BCG at birth will have a reduction in allergy profile when compared to children who did not receive BCG at birth.

The purpose of this study is to characterise inspiratory flow parameters across 2 Easyhaler® (EH) inhaler versions and Diskus® inhaler in patients with asthma (including children, adults, and the elderly) and in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

This study will compare the absolute and relative effectiveness of asthma management in patients on inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) maintenance therapy as either extra-fine-particle or larger-particle formulation beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) via metered-dose inhalers (MDIs) using the propellant hydrofluoroalkane propellant (HFA-BDP), namely Qvar® MDI compared with Clenil® MDI.

The aim of this study is to investigate the immunomodulatory potential of Isolated Plasmacytoide Dendritic Cells (pDCs) and Regulatory T-cells (TREGs) isolated with clinical grade magnetic bead isolations techniques (MACS®) on the antigen presenting cell-induced proliferation of lymphocytes after allergen uptake in an in vitro cell culture system.

The purpose of this study is to examine whether there are higher levels of cysteinyl leukotrienes in obese subjects than in non-obese subjects. Cysteinyl leukotrienes are pro-inflammatory substances that cause asthma by narrowing the airways of the lung. The investigators want to see if subjects with increased fat stores and therefore increased leptin, which is a fat-related protein that regulates leukotrienes, have increased levels of leukotrienes in the blood, lung and urine. The investigators would also like to determine the relationship between cysteinyl leukotrienes and exhaled nitric oxide levels in asthmatics with and without obesity. Nitric oxide is anti-inflammatory and suppresses leukotriene synthesis.

This study has been conceived in the context of Health Outcomes Research where the outcomes of health interventions in routine clinical practice constitute the main objective of the research process. In the case of asthma in Spain, the investigators do not clearly know the use of resources generated by the patient with asthma, its impact on the effectiveness of the current approach of asthmatic patients and the overall efficiency of health interventions on asthmatic patients. This observational, retrospective and multicenter study aims to estimate the use of health care resources in managing patients with asthma and to determine the management of the disease in the usual clinical practice in Valencia Autonomous Region. The data will be obtained at primary care level from the Electronic Health Record SIA+GAIA data base and at hospital level from allergologists and pneumologists clinical records. The investigators plan to introduce 289 ambulatory patients followed-up in Primary or Specialized Care Services, older than 15 years of age, diagnosed of asthma at least one year before the beginning of the study. The inclusion period will be of 3 months and the retrospective data of 12 previous months of follow-up will be collected. The direct and indirect use of resources will be collected in order to estimate the management and use of health care resources in managing patients with asthma in the Autonomous region of Valencia as primary endpoint and also to estimate the mean cost of asthmatic patient healthcare; to determine the global effectiveness and the efficiency of the actual asthmatic patient healthcare and to model the health budget according to different objectives of effectiveness for the next five years.

The primary objective of this study is to determine if well-controlled asthmatic patients followed in subspecialty asthma clinics between the ages of 3 - 18 years can be distinguished from healthy controls using lung clearance index, a parameter from the multiple breath washout test. Also, to correlate lung clearance index with asthma sputum cell counts.

Although some causal factors in allergy development such as allergen exposure and environmental pollution have decreased during recent years, the incidence of the allergic diseases has increased in the Western world. Since the genetic predisposition to develop allergies cannot change in such a short time it is conceivable that, instead of the emerging of some new and unknown risk factors, some protective factors seem to have disappeared in the Western world. Allergic disease is a tendency to develop allergies to allergens in the surrounding environment. The most common symptoms are eczema and food allergy in the early life, bronchial asthma (AB) later in childhood and allergic rhino conjunctivitis (ARC) during school age and adolescence, the so-called allergic march. Some person may develop only one, but others some or all of the symptoms. Inheritance, environment and allergen exposure are important factors affecting this march but there are important factors that predict later development of diseases. Sensitization to egg (positive skin prick test or specific IgE to egg in the serum) combined with skin problems in infancy predispose strongly to the development of allergic asthma in later life. The purpose of this work is to supply children with early development of IgE associated eczema and food allergy with omega-3 LCPUFA before the age of 12 months and assess the effect of the supplementation on the future development of skin symptoms, food allergy, sensitisation against inhalant allergens and asthma in these children. We will also assess immunological markers of Th2-skewed immunity in relation to clinical effect of the supplementation. Families with children younger than 12 months referred to the paediatric department at Linköping University Hospital, Motala, Norrköping and Jönköping Hospitals in the South East of Sweden, with the diagnosis IgE associated eczema and sensitised against food allergens (egg, milk, wheat and/or soya) will be invited to participate in this study. Clinical examination by a paediatrician and assessment of disease severity with SCORAD will be performed by a research nurse at inclusion. The children will be assessed every six months by a nurse until 2.5 years of age and by a paediatrician at 3 years of age. Later clinical assessment will be performed yearly until age 7.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma are common respiratory diseases in which people experience long-term inflammation of the lungs. Exacerbations, or prolonged worsening of symptoms, of asthma and COPD are often life-threatening and can lead to frequent need for hospitalization. Even with the proper use of bronchodilators, corticosteroids, and other currently available medications, clinical responses among people with COPD and asthma are variable. There remains a significant unmet clinical need for new therapeutic approaches and insights, including the identification of biomarkers to accurately assess the presence of airway infection and intensity of airway inflammation. This study will investigate potential natural biological causes and new biomarkers for increased susceptibility to persistent airway infection in asthma and COPD.

An observational study to investigate how patients experience the ability to adjust their asthma maintenance medication according to instructions received from their physician. The primary aim is to create an insight in the perception of the patient when he has the ability to adjust his own maintenance treatment and how the patient exercises this in the daily practice.