Determinants of Corticosteroid Insensitivity in Smokers With Asthma

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2010-09-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

Smokers with asthma display a relative insensitivity to inhaled and oral corticosteroids. The causes of this phenomenon are currently unknown. The investigators will perform a number of blood & breathing tests to try to discover the cause/s behind this phenomenon with the aim of producing leads for further investigation and possible new treatments for smokers with asthma.

• Phase: N/A
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: University of Glasgow
• Collaborator: Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government
• Treatments: Dexamethasone

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Asthma (defined by either reversibility to bronchodilator or methacholine testing)

• Asthma duration of 6 months or greater

• Stable asthma

• Age 18-60

• Treatment with inhaled corticosteroids

• Smoking history consistent with group

• smokers with asthma: > or = 5 pack years and currently smoking more than 5 cigarettes per day

• ex-smokers: smoking ceased > or = two years prior to recruitment, minimum 5 pack year history

• non-smokers: no smoking history

Exclusion Criteria:

• Presence of medical condition likely to be exacerbated by treatment with oral corticosteroids

• Treatment with > 2000 mcg beclomethasone (or equivalent) per day

• Subject requires oral corticosteroids to maintain asthma control

• Subject requires oral theophylline to maintain asthma control

• Recent treatment with oral corticosteroids

• Pregnancy or subject planning to become pregnant