Finding early warning signs for thunderstorm and pollen-related asthma attacks

The CARISTA study is looking for early warning signs in your blood that could predict whether you're at risk for severe asthma attacks during spring, especially those triggered by thunderstorms or grass pollen. Researchers will collect blood samples and measure your lung function, then ask you to track your symptoms online throughout two consecutive spring seasons. The goal is to develop a simple test that doctors can use to identify high-risk patients and help prevent emergency asthma attacks before they happen.

Thunderstorm asthma is becoming a growing public health emergency in Australia, and thousands of people end up in the emergency room each spring when pollen and weather combine to trigger severe attacks. Right now, doctors can't reliably predict who will have these dangerous attacks, so this research aims to discover blood markers that could identify at-risk patients early and help prevent serious symptoms.