Oral Contraceptives and Asthma Control

  • Temprano, James (PI)

Grants and Contracts Details

Description

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways that affects approximGjtely 15 million individuals in the United States and resulted in costs of $11.3 billion in 1998.1 The rate of asthma exacerbations among females is twice that of men after adolescence, and a large proportion of females with asthma report worsened asthma symptoms during different phases of the menstrual cycle. Previous studies have demonstrated increased symptoms and decreased peak expiratory flow rates during the premenstrual phase of the menstrual cycle. Measurement of the fractional concentration of exhaled nitric oxide (FENo) is a new, easily performed, non-invasive method that has been used to assess airway inflammation in adults and children. The long term goal of this study is to identify possible differences in FENOlevels among females that use or do not use oral contraceptives, and to correlate these levels with serum levels of estradiol and progesterone. Additionally, this study will evaluate differences in asthma symptoms between these two groups of patients as assessed by the Asthma Control Test™. This study may identify clinically important changes in FENolevels that occur in female asthmatics during the menstrual cycle, as well as identifying any modifying effects on these levels by oral contraceptive pills. This data may lead to future studies aimed at identifying therapeutic roles for hormones in asthma therapy.
StatusFinished
Effective start/end date11/1/074/30/09

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