Severe Asthma Research Program
A National Institutes of Health/ National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute sponsored network
The UW Madison site includes a site for adult and pediatric participants at University of Wisconsin-Madison.
We have shown that patients with severe asthma have more air trapping, or too much air left in the lungs at the end of a breath, compared to those with non-severe asthma. Airway imaging such as CT scan or MRI has shown irregular airway patterns and air trapping in the lungs. Some of these irregular airway patterns are long lasting. Others may start with viral asthma exacerbations/attacks or a lung challenge (allergens or chemicals), resolve, and then occur again in the same general areas on repeated exposures. This suggests an airway problem in a specific airway. In initial studies, markers of inflammation tended to be more important in lung segments that showed these irregular patterns on imaging. In other studies, we showed that young children with repeat severe wheezing episodes have lower lung function in later childhood, a similar pattern in other studies of adults and children with asthma.
We are studying if severe asthma exacerbations, in some patients, lead to the development irregular airway patterns and high levels of airway inflammatory cells in specific areas of the lung that may persist over time. These areas in the lung may have more airway damage leading to poor lung function, increased air trapping, and more severe asthma. The project at UW Madison focuses on looking at those irregular airway patterns through lung imaging and studies of inflammation at an individual’s baseline (usual level of symptoms) and during a time of exacerbation.
Site Investigators:
Loren Denlinger, M.D., Ph.D.; Co-investigator
Adult Pulmonologist
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI 53792
Nizar Jarjour, M.D.; Principal Investigator
Adult Pulmonologist
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, Wisconsin 53792
Ronald L. Sorkness, Ph.D., R.Ph.; Co-investigator
Professor of Pharmacy
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI 53792
Site Coordinator:
Lori Wollet
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Clinical Research Coordinator
Asthma, Allergy, & Pulmonary
Phone: (608)263-0524
Email: Pulm-research@medicine.wisc.edu
U.W. Madison
Sean Fain, Ph.D.; Co-investigator
Associate Professor, MRI Imaging
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI 53792