Can we predict how severe asthma reshapes the lungs?

NCT ID NCT01716494

The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.

First seen Aug 19, 2026 · Last updated Aug 20, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study follows children and adults with severe asthma over three years to see how their airways change and how lung function declines. Using advanced imaging and breathing tests, researchers aim to understand the process of airway remodeling and what makes some patients worsen faster. The findings could help identify early warning signs and guide future treatments to protect lung health.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

What this could lead to
If successful, this research could reveal how severe asthma changes the airways over time, pointing toward new ways to predict or slow that damage.
What could go wrong
This is an observational study, not a treatment test, so it won't directly produce a new therapy. Results may take years and might not apply to all asthma patients.

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Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Participants

121 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Oct 2012

Finished

Mar 2021

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Who is studied

Subjects with asthma (severe asthma, well controlled asthma) and healthy normal controls from St. Louis region

Ages

6 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Physician diagnosis of asthma, 2. Age 6 years and older 3. Evidence of historical reversibility, including either: 1. FEV1 bronchodilator reversibility ≥ 12%, or 2. Airway hyperresponsiveness reflected by a methacholine PC20 ≤16 mg/mL. Exclusion Criteria: 1. No primary medical caregiver, 2. Pregnancy (if undergoing methacholine challenge or bronchoscopy), 3. Current smoking 4. Smoking history \> 10 pack years if ≥ 30 years of age or smoking history \> 5 pack years if \< 30 years of age (Note: If a subject has a smoking history, no smoking within the past year) 5. Other chronic pulmonary disorders associated with asthma-like symptoms,including (but not limited to) cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic bronchitis, vocal cord dysfunction that is the sole cause of asthma symptoms, severe scoliosis or chest wall deformities that affect lung function, or congenital disorders of the lungs or airways, 6. History of premature birth before 35 weeks gestation, 7. Evidence that the participant or family may be unreliable or poorly adherent to their asthma treatment or study procedures, 8. Planning to relocate from the clinical center area before study completion, or 9. Any other criteria that place the subject at unnecessary risk according to the judgment of the Principal Investigator and/or attending physician(s) of record.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Washington University School of Medicine

    St Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States

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