People suffering from mild asthma wanted for research study
Researchers at the University of Newcastle are assessing the effectiveness of three different inhaled treatments in patients with asthma.
Led by Professor Peter Wark and Professor Jodie Simpson the team will examine people aged 18 – 75 who have mild asthma and use only a reliever inhaler for the condition.
The one-year-study will explore the effectiveness of three different forms of treatment to assess which inhaler treatment works best in asthma:
- As-needed Ventolin
- As-needed Sybicort
- Regular twice-daily Pulmicort and as-needed Ventolin.
The inhalers contain an electronic monitor which records how often they’re used to ensure that researchers have the ability to interpret the results in a fair and appropriate way.
Participants will receive free inhalers, lung function tests and regular assessment of their asthma.
Current research mainly focusses on moderate to severe asthma, however, most adults have mild disease.
Peter hopes that this study will provide evidence to help guide clinical management of people with mild asthma and improve asthma guidelines.
“The results from this study could help us better treat patients with mild asthma,” Peter says.
The Novel START (Novel Sybicort Turbuhaler Asthma Reliever Therapy) research project is being conducted by the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand and sponsored in Australia by Woolcock Institute of Medical Research for the Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI).
To find out more email joanne.howes@newcastle.edu.au
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