Pulmonary Inflammation
Most lung diseases are caused mainly by inflammation of the airways, which doctors have been able to "see" only by observing the person's symptoms (coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath) or by inserting a tube down the person's throat.
In this project, researchers are learning about airway inflammation indirectly by studying the contents of gases and fluids as a person exhales them. Besides such gases as nitric oxide, ethane, and carbon monoxide, a person affected by a respiratory disease may exhale a variety of inflammatory proteins that probably relate to the severity of the disease.
The scientists in this study will compare the gases and fluids exhaled by healthy people to those exhaled by people with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and other common airway diseases. This comparison will help them determine the causes of respiratory disease, judge the effectiveness of treatments, and understand more about the variation in disease between people.
For additional information about this study, search for our publications on http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed by typing in one of the investigators and pressing return or clicking on Go.
Primary focus: Epidemiology |
