CHRONOS Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Continuous cougH Monitoring and RespONse to biOlogics in Severe asthma: The CHRONOS study
IRAS ID
351362
Contact name
Dominic L Sykes
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
Coughing is a common and serious issue for people with severe asthma, often affecting their quality of life more than shortness of breath. With new digital cough monitors, we can now keep track of coughing non-stop, 24 hours a day, over long periods. In the past, doctors used a one-day cough count, taken at two different times, to study cough in clinical trials. Recent research shows that these counts drop significantly after patients start biologic treatments. However, new findings reveal that cough counts can vary by 39% from day to day with continuous monitoring, making occasional one-day counts liable to sampling errors.
We believe that monitoring coughs continuously might provide an early and accurate way to see if asthma treatments are working. Wearable devices can monitor people with asthma and even predict when their condition might get worse. For example, coughing tends to increase 5 days before a flare-up in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), suggesting action can be taken sooner.
Typically, coughs are reported as an average number per hour, but this doesn't tell the full story. Instead, looking at how long someone goes without coughing (relief) and the number of coughs in one episode (cough density) gives better insights that match how patients feel. Continuous monitoring allows us to gather this detailed information, something not yet fully explored in severe asthma cases. As wearable tech and remote health monitoring become more common, continuous cough tracking could help find patients who need changes to their long-term treatment.
REC name
East Midlands - Derby Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/EM/0285
Date of REC Opinion
7 Jan 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion