What the trial was testing
The trial enrolled 404 patients with asthma. The study was sponsored by Johns Hopkins University and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
Researchers followed patients through treatment and into recovery, tracking the outcomes that mattered most for the disease being studied.
What the results showed
Combined home and preschool asthma education reduced hospitalizations by 64% compared to preschool support alone.
JAMA pediatrics · 2020 · NCT01519453
These findings — that home visits plus preschool support vs. preschool support alone — were published in the JAMA pediatrics and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 404 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with asthma, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
If your young child has asthma, ask about programs that bring asthma education into your home and work with your child's preschool. This study found that combining both approaches — not just relying on school support — made a big difference in keeping kids out of the hospital and reducing their need for rescue steroids.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open asthma trials
Role of Genetic Factors in the Development of Lung Disease
This study is designed to evaluate the genetics involved in the development of lung disease by surveying genes involved in the process of breathing and examining the genes in lung cells of patients with lung disease. The study will focus on defining the distribution of abnormal genes responsible for processes directly involved in different diseases affecting the lungs of patients and healthy volunteers. Optional CT Sub-study The standard CT scan will be compared to the low dose radiation CT scan for the 150 subjects enrolled in the sub-study to assess the variation between the two techniques. Specifically, the quantitative computer aided detection of lung CT abnormalities from LAM can be compared to assess whether low radiation dose CT exams is an alternative to conventional CT to monitor disease status. This optional sub-study will be offered to up to 100 adult subjects with lung disease and up to 50 children age 9 and older with CF. Children will not be enrolled in the optional CT sub-study unless they have had a standard CT scan for medical purposes to use in comparison. One additional low dose radiation CT scan of the chest may be done as part of this sub-study when these subjects have their next annual CT scan.
N95 Masks for Lung Health While Golfing During Wildfire Season
Lung health is negatively affected during wildfire season by increased smoke pollution. Wearing N95 masks protects lung health in the short-term. The purpose of our study is to assess whether wearing of N95 facemasks on days with moderate to high air pollution in people who go outside to golf on a regular basis (two or more times per week) for two months during the wildfire season projects lung health.