Asthma Clinical Trials
Do you know why we are conducting a clinical trial for asthma? This long-term disease can be managed, but there is still no comprehensive cure available for patients. Clinical trials serve as viable alternatives for people who have not found success through more conventional asthma treatments.
Asthma is a chronic lung condition that causes the airways to become inflamed and narrowed. The most common symptoms associated with asthma include:
- Shortness of breath
- Chest tightness
A lot of patients with asthma experience coughing fits early in the morning or late at night.
Asthma Fast Facts
- Most people develop asthma in early childhood
- Experts estimate that more than 25 million Americans have asthma
- An estimated 7 million children are living with asthma
- There’s a genetic component to asthma
In order to better understand this type of lung disease, you need to know how the human airways function. These tubes are responsible for carrying air into and out of the lungs. The airways of people who’ve been diagnosed with asthma will become inflamed and very sensitive. Patients tend to react adversely to specific inhaled substances.
During an asthma flare, the muscles surrounding the airways tighten up. The airways are tightened up, which means less air is able to pass into the lungs. The airways can narrow even further if the swelling becomes more pronounced. Asthma can also cause cells in the airways to produce a lot of mucus. This substance can also interfere with the proper flow of air into the lungs.
Asthma symptoms can manifest every time the airways have become inflamed. These can range in severity from quite mild to debilitating. Milder symptoms can go away on their own or with some basic medications. Unfortunately, there are certain cases that can’t be adequately managed with these conventional treatments.
If your symptoms suddenly become exacerbated, you could be experiencing what’s known as an asthma attack. Specialists actually refer to these attacks as flare-ups or exacerbations. It’s crucial to seek treatment as soon as you notice these symptoms manifesting. This could prevent them from getting worse or developing into a more severe asthma attack. These could prove deadly unless emergency medical care is sought.
There is no cure for asthma, but our understanding of the human airways and this condition mean we can better manage the disease. If effectively managed, patients only experience few if any symptoms. These patients can end up living a much better quality of life including staying more active and getting better quality sleep.
What Causes Asthma?
Researchers still don’t know what exactly causes asthma. They theorize that some environmental and genetic factors come together to cause asthma, often at a very young age. These include:
- Parents who’ve been diagnosed with asthma
- An inherited tendency to develop allergies, known as atopy
- Specific respiratory infections during early childhood
- Exposure to certain airborne allergens or viral infections during infancy or early childhood when the immune system is developing
When asthma runs in the family, exposure to airborne irritants could cause the airways to become more susceptible.
The environmental and genetic factors that come into play can vary widely from case to case. But the truth is that researchers still have much more to learn about what exactly causes asthma.
Asthma Clinical Research
Achieve Clinical Research is currently conducting a wide array of clinical studies targeted towards certain conditions. You may be eligible to participate in one of our asthma clinical trials and contribute to the development and approval of a new drug or treatment. As a participant, there is no cost to you at any point during the study and health insurance is not required. Browse our clinical trials being conducted now to find the study best suited for you.
An Animated Video on Asthma
Additional Resources for Patients with Asthma
If you live near Central Alabama, click here to learn more about participating in an asthma clinical trial. Also, our sister site Avail Clinical Research conducts asthma clinical trials in DeLand, Florida.