Active clinical trials for "Lung Diseases"

To test the hypothesis that clinically inapparent sleep-disordered breathing was associated with blood pressure elevation, impairment of health-related quality of life, and depression.

To determine the incidence of tuberculosis in an inner city population, identify risk factors for TB, describe the natural history in adults and children, evaluate the effect of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) co-infection on the progression of human immunodeficiency virus disease, and determine factors that contribute to compliance and non-compliance with prophylaxis and treatment.

To define new national norms for pediatric blood pressure by adjusting the available data set of over 60,000 pediatric blood pressure readings for age, height and gender among children of normal body weight.

To determine the prevalence and natural history of pulmonary and cardiac complications associated with HIV infection in utero, in infancy, and during early childhood.

To prospectively identify factors that influence the rate of decline in pulmonary function and to identify predictors of chronic obstructive lung disease (COLD) and asthma in a population sample of older adults.

To define the prevalence of Sleep Apnea Syndrome (SAS) in a community-based sample of Hispanic adults.

To identify risk factors for work disability among adults with asthma treated by pulmonary and allergy specialists.

To establish a registry of individuals with LAM by forming a consortium of six clinical centers and referring physicians who treat LAM patients.

Recently, an epidemic of pulmonary disease has been recognized among workers in a popcorn factory in Jasper, Missouri. The exposure agent has not yet been identified, but suspects include butter flavoring and the powdered salt used in the mixing room. This disease resembles "Bronchiolitis Obliterans Syndrome", an illness that makes it difficult to breathe. Of the 117 workers studied, one year later, 25 subjects whom were working in the mixing room or in the microwave packaging area have had decreases in lung function seven times the norm for their age. Industrial hygiene experts revealed that dust concentrations of salt and other flavorings were much higher in the mixing room compared to the office and outdoor work areas. Recently, rats were exposed to vapors created by heating the butter flavor compound obtained from this plant. Six-hour exposure to vapors at very high concentration resulted in significant damage to the breathing apparatus. Thus, there is clinical, epidemiological, and animal toxicity data that appears to implicate some constituent present during the mixing of the butter flavoring, salt, and oil causing a form of obstructive airway disease that has been rapidly progressive in a number of workers. It is not clear what the pathophysiologic nature of this entity is, though it resembles Bronchiolitis Obliterans Syndrome. It is not known what the long term consequence of this will be on the active workers, nor is it clear whether preventive measures taken to reduce exposures in the mixing room and elsewhere in the plant are going to be effective.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the most common chronic illnesses among veterans in the adult population, and accounts for substantial morbidity and mortality in this population. Interventions that enhance symptom self-monitoring and increase understanding of COPD therapy may lead to earlier detection of clinical deterioration permitting more timely intervention by health care providers. However, such interventions are labor-intensive and expensive, and typically require patients to go to a medical facility on a regular basis. A novel means of providing such interventions is a Telephone-Linked Computer (TLC) system, a computer-based telecommunications system that can monitor, educate, and counsel patients through regular automated conversations in patients� homes. In previous studies, we have demonstrated the applicability of TLC technology in the clinical monitoring of adults with chronic disease conditions such as hypertension and hypercholesterolemia.