INCA; investigating neuronal responses by assessing cough in asthma
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigating Neuronal responses by assessing capsaicin evoked Cough responses in an allergen challenge model of Asthma
IRAS ID
191007
Contact name
Imran Satia
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 29 days
Research summary
Cough in asthma is very common and troublesome but also predicts long term severity. We don't fully understand what makes asthmatics cough and whether the nerves that trigger cough are abnormal. My research is therefore aimed at understanding how nerves are affected in asthma by measuring cough responses to capsaicin, an extract of chilli peppers known to cause cough. The study involves measuring how much asthmatics cough to capsaicin when they are exposed to something they are allergic to. To do this study we need to do skin prick tests to check for a small skin reactions to air allergens such as grass or pollen which some people have a reaction to. We also need to do blowing tests and a test for asthma by getting patients to breath in a chemical that can cause your airways to become a little tighter, called methacholine and take some sputum samples. In persons with mild allergic asthma we will do further blowing tests, and breath in a substance which you subjects are sensitive to, to provoke mild asthma symptoms. At the start and end of this, we will ask subjects to breath in capsaicin which will make them cough slightly and sometimes a transient hot sensation in the throat.
This is a 8 visit randomised, single-blind, placebo controlled, two-way cross-over study comparing cough responses to inhaled capsaicin in allergic asthma patients during and 24 hours after exposure to allergen compared with diluent (saline) control.
REC name
North West - Haydock Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/NW/0787
Date of REC Opinion
21 Oct 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion