With onset of spring allergies, UofL seeks asthma sufferers to participate in study

Amid the spring allergy season, a University of Louisville study could help asthma sufferers learn more about the environmental causes of their condition.

UofL researchers are recruiting about 200 people with asthma age 60 and older to participate in the study, which focuses on identifying asthma triggers in older adults.

“Allergies to trees and grasses are known spring-time triggers for people with asthma,” said Barbara Polivka, Ph.D., R.N., Shirley B. Powers Endowed Chair in Nursing, UofL School of Nursing. “Participating in the study will provide participants with information about their asthma and help them identify other asthma triggers.”

Study participants must be non-smokers and have no other lung diseases. The study is open to people who reside in assisted-living facilities, condominiums/patio homes, apartments or single-family homes.

Participants can receive up to $200 in gift cards, asthma trigger control supplies and test results. For more information on participating, contact Susan Rames at 502-852-2273 or asthma@louisville.edu.

Researchers will gather information related to participant demographics, health history, occupational exposures, age at asthma onset and duration, tobacco use, the presence of other diseases, medication profile and individual asthma-specific knowledge. Blood-work, pulmonary function tests and a skin-allergy test will be part of the data collection for each participant.

The research is funded by a $2.4 million grant from the National Institute on Aging, a division of the National Institutes of Health.

April 25, 2016