Protocol for the Wessex AsThma CoHort of Difficult Asthma (WATCH): a Pragmatic Real-life Longitudinal Study of Difficult Asthma in the Clinic

Overview

Journal BMC Pulm Med

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Pulmonary Medicine

Date 2019 May 26

PMID 31126281

Citations 11

Authors

Adnan Azim

Heena Mistry

Anna Freeman

Clair Barber

Colin Newell

Kerry Gove

Yvette Thirlwall

Matt Harvey

Kimberley Bentley

Deborah Knight

Karen Long

Frances Mitchell

Yueqing Cheng

Judit Varkonyi-Sepp

Wolfgang Grabau

Paddy Dennison

Hans Michael Haitchi

S Hasan Arshad

Ratko Djukanovic

Tom Wilkinson

Peter Howarth

Ramesh J Kurukulaaratchy

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Asthma is now widely recognised to be a heterogeneous disease. The last two decades have seen the identification of a number of biological targets and development of various novel therapies. Despite this, asthma still represents a significant health and economic burden worldwide. Why some individuals should continue to suffer remains unclear.

Methods: The Wessex Asthma Cohort of Difficult Asthma (WATCH) is an ongoing 'real-life', prospective study of patients in the University Hospital Southampton Foundation Trust (UHSFT) Difficult Asthma service. Research data capture is aligned with the extensive clinical characterisation required of a commissioned National Health Service (NHS) Specialist Centre for Severe Asthma. Data acquisition includes detailed clinical, health and disease-related questionnaires, anthropometry, allergy and lung function testing, radiological imaging (in a small subset) and collection of biological samples (blood, urine and sputum). Prospective data are captured in parallel to clinical follow up appointments, with data entered into a bespoke database.

Discussion: The pragmatic ongoing nature of the WATCH study allows comprehensive assessment of the real world clinical spectrum seen in a Specialist Asthma Centre and allows a longitudinal perspective of deeply phenotyped patients. It is anticipated that the WATCH cohort would act as a vehicle for potential collaborative asthma studies and will build upon our understanding of mechanisms underlying difficult asthma.

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