A new study looking at the development of asthma in young children is being undertaken on the Isle of Wight.
The ‘Breathing Together’ Study led by the Study Team at The David Hide Asthma & Allergy Centre, St Mary’s Hospital invites all women who are currently pregnant or have just had a child to participate. Around 1 in 3 pre-school children develop a noisy, whistling, sound or better known as a ‘wheeze’ when they have a cold. Some children are barely affected, while others need to use an inhaler to support their breathing, and others can end up going to hospital. A number of those children can go on to have lifelong problems with asthma while others outgrow their breathing issue around the time they start school.
Prof Roberts, Professor and Consultant Paediatrician in allergy and respiratory medicine is leading the Isle of Wight part of this important study and is keen for as many women and children as possible to participate. This will help them to better understand the reasons why some children develop asthma and others don’t.
“Wheeze in pre-school children is one of the few common problems in children that we really do not understand. Even when nobody in the family has asthma, a small child may start wheezing, so we are hoping that everyone will help us with this study. This new knowledge will hopefully lead to the development of new approaches to preventing breathing problems and treating them in small children.”
The ‘Breathing Together Study’ will follow a group of 1000 new-born children from across the UK until they are 3 years old. The study will look to see if differences in the way the lining of their lungs work, how their immune system functions and what bugs live on their skin causes them to develop a wheeze.
Participating will involve the Study Team collecting information about the child, as well as collecting some samples in the first 10 days after they are born, and again when they are 1yr and 3yrs old. The Study Team will also contact you once a month by email to check on your child. If your child develops a wheeze at 6 months of age, the Study Team would like to collect additional information and samples. If this were to happen or an allergy test is positive, additional advice can be provided.
For more information please contact the David Hide Asthma & Allergy Research Centre on;
01983-530786 07710229794 IOWStudy@iow.nhs.uk
More information about the ‘Breathing Together Study’, which is being funded by the Welcome Trust, can be found HERE
