View clinical trials related to Asthma.
Filter by:The overall goal of this randomized, controlled study is to compare a model written treatment plan with the usual care that is provided by a group of adult and pediatric pulmonologists and allergists in their practice settings. The written treatment plan is a form that allows a treatment regimen that is consistent with National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) guidelines to be conveyed to patients. Barriers to the use of written plans will be identified to better understand why some patients and physicians use written treatment plans more frequently and effectively than others. An additional goal is to assess how patients from different racial/ethnic backgrounds utilize treatments plans. Because asthma disproportionately affects African American and Latino patients, another goal of this study is to better understand if there are fundamental differences in the way patients from racial/ethnic minority groups self-manage asthma in comparison to their white counterparts. The study will also try to determine if differences exist in the way physicians care for minority patients. If there are differences, it is important to determine if the disparities can be overcome with the use of a written treatment plan form.
The purpose of this research study is to investigate the way that educational approaches and presentation of a drug may affect the response to montelukast and placebo (an inactive medication) in subjects with asthma.
Asthma has become increasingly common in the UK, demanding our consideration of the cause. Many patients with asthma are allergic to house dust mites, which thrive in modern housing. Improving ventilation in the home has been shown to reduce dust mite levels, by reducing humidity levels. It is hoped that, by removing the dust mites from homes, asthma may improve. In this study, 140 volunteers will have their carpets steam-cleaned and new allergy bedding provided, before a team of architects installs a ventilation system in the loft. Half of the units will be switched on at the beginning of the study. The other half will be switched on in 12 months time, but only the architects know which units are active. The medical team will compare the asthma, and measures of inflammation in the airways, over that year. It is due for completion in April 2007.
1. To determine if there are gender differences in asthma prevalence, severity, treatment, and health care utilization within patient populations in Kaiser Permanente Northwest and Colorado Regions. 2. To test the ability of an automated telephone outreach intervention to reduce health care utilization for acute asthma exacerbations and improve quality of life. The intervention used speech recognition technology to gather information about current asthma control, patterns of medication use, and recent acute health care utilization for asthma. This information allowed the intervention to provide tailored educational feedback and to flag patients deemed to be at high risk for future exacerbations so that they could be followed up by the health care system.
The aim of this study is to examine the inflammatory mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory lung disease, in particular to compare the inflammatory profile seen in asthma and COPD. Evidence for inflammation in asthma and COPD is based on the finding of increased numbers of macrophages and neutrophils in the lungs and respiratory secretions of these patients. The inflammatory cells produce proteases, as well as, reactive oxidant species resulting in a protease/anti-protease imbalance which favours lung destruction. The aim is to examine the inflammatory mediators released by inflammatory cells (such as, macrophages and lymphocytes) in order to determine whether there are differences between non-smoking subjects, smoking subjects and patients with asthma or COPD. Monocytes are precursors of alveolar macrophages, and both monocytes and neutrophils are recruited to the lung from the blood via the action of specific chemoattractants. We have evidence that in inflammation there are higher levels of these chemoattractants. Therefore these cells might also demonstrate the same changes seen in alveolar macrophages from these patients. We also aim to assess the role of the macrophage precursor (monocyte) and neutrophils in the blood. We will also assess lymphocyte/monocyte interaction. We will do this as the lymphocyte may be involved in the initial recruitment of inflammatory cells. We will also assess the role of cytokines involved with monocyte/macrophage/neutrophil migration in induced sputum as well as the role of induced sputum in the migration of monocytes and neutrophils into the lung. Our aim is to link the initial changes in blood to the changes causing disease in the lungs. We aim to examine cellular responses in four groups of subjects, namely (i) non-smoking controls, (ii) smokers without clinical evidence of COPD or asthma, (iii) smokers with COPD (iv) asthmatic patients.
To determine whether there is a difference in two different breathing tests used to detect asthma. Hypothesis: The Digidoser delivers less methacholine to the airways and will result in a higher PC20 than the value determined by the Rosenthal Dosimeter.
This study evaluates the effect of cumulative dose administration of albuterol sulfate inhalation aerosol delivered with valved holding chamber and facemask. This is a four week study in birth to 23 month old subjects who are experiencing acute wheezing due to obstructive airways disease.
This study will determine if airway antioxidant levels in allergic asthmatics are enhanced with a combination of vitamin E and vitamin C therapy.
The purpose of this study is to determine whether antiepileptic drug oxcarbazepine is effective in the treatment of chronic asthma.
The primary objective of the study is to assess the efficacy and safety of etanercept 25 mg given twice weekly in subjects with moderate to severe persistent asthma.