Objective measures of lung function in children
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Objective measures of lung function in young children
IRAS ID
265385
Contact name
Ciara Hughes
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Ulster University Sponsor
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 3 months, 31 days
Research summary
This study will measure lung function in children aged 2-8 that attend the Belfast Hospital for Sick Children (BHSC) for mild to moderate asthma symptoms/ wheeze. Children will be clinically assessed by the doctor and their lung function will be measured by a harmless portable device called Tremoflo and the gold standard Impulse Oscillometer (IOS) both before and after receiving a drug that is usually prescribed to treat their narrowed airways. In addition to this older children 5-8 years will be assessed using spirometry, as per standard operating procedures. The importance of this study is because preschool children cannot be fully or comprehensively assessed for a diagnosis of asthma, so they are treated solely on the clinical assessment and history from their parents and are only diagnosed once they are older. If an objective modality of assessing lung function was feasible, reproducible, valid and had good clinical utility, then this may lead to early and accurate diagnosis and monitoring of asthma especially in preschool children who cannot perform spirometry. In addition to the early diagnosis being made according to recommendations set out in the NICE guidelines, follow up and management of asthma could start at an earlier stage and preventive treatment may be prescribed.
REC name
HSC REC B
REC reference
20/NI/0075
Date of REC Opinion
3 Jul 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion