Analyses of existing PEF in workers with occupational asthma
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Analyses of existing peak expiratory flow in workers with occupational asthma
IRAS ID
277792
Contact name
Sherwood Burge
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
This is a research project which aims to improve the quality of the Oasys peak expiratory flow (PEF) analysis system used for the diagnosis of occupational asthma. As the results should be generalizable to any patient with work-related asthma, the project comes within the scope of ethical review. It is a project using existing data only and no new patient contacts are involved. Workers with possible occupational asthma have kept frequent measurements of their breathing using PEF meters over several weeks at work and at home as part of their investigation to confirm their diagnosis, from 1990 onwards. We wish to use these existing PEF records to see if different exposures at work cause different patterns of PEF response. This would include comparing exposures to agents which are thought to act as irritants (such as chlorine-based cleaning agents, mild steel welding fume and diesel exhaust), with those where hypersensitivity is likely (such as flour, isocyanates and acrylates). We will aim to see if different groups of causative agent, grouped by their molecular size, result in different patterns of response. We also wish to identify how big a difference there has to be in PEF to identify a specific cause when a worker is exposed to more than one possible cause. To do this we will use data from days with predominantly one rather than the other exposure. We would also like to compare existing self-reported symptom questionnaire responses with the results from serial PEF records. We will only use existing data on exposures contained in patients’ medical records, as well as any other confirmatory tests already done such as blood tests for specific IgE or the results of specific inhalation tests. No new data will be collected and no new diagnoses will be made. The results should help us improve interpretation of serial PEF records in the future.
REC name
London - Brighton & Sussex Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/PR/0394
Date of REC Opinion
22 May 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion