The Gut-Lung Axis and Respiratory Illness in Children

Launched by NHS GREATER GLASGOW AND CLYDE · Feb 14, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial, titled "The Gut-Lung Axis and Respiratory Illness in Children," is studying how the health of the gut (the digestive system) and the lungs (the breathing system) are connected in children, especially those with breathing problems like asthma and wheezing, or gastrointestinal (GI) issues. The researchers want to understand what a healthy gut-lung connection looks like, and whether children with respiratory or GI problems have different gut or lung bacteria compared to healthy children. This trial is being conducted at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow, Scotland.

To participate, children from birth to 16 years old can be included if they are having certain medical procedures or treatments related to their lungs or digestive system. Participants will provide samples from their lungs, blood, and stool, and will keep a food diary to help researchers see how diet might influence the gut-lung connection. This study is currently recruiting participants, and it aims to find out how asthma treatments, specifically biologics, affect the gut-lung axis over time. If your child is eligible and participates, they will be contributing to important research that could help improve understanding and treatment of respiratory illnesses in children.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Any infant/child/young person admitted to the RHC, Glasgow for an elective bronchoscopy or GI endoscopy.
• • Any infant/child attending for an emergency/elective orthopaedic operation without active respiratory or gastrointestinal conditions or receiving treatment for either condition. (Age range birth to 16 years for all groups recruited).
• • Any child attending respiratory department at RHC who can induce sputum and is having a blood sample taken, with latter part of standard of care.
• • Any infant/child/young person admitted to RHC for a clinical care appointment with Asthma/wheeze before commencement of biologics therapy (treatment group).
• • Any child admitted to RHC with asthma/wheeze not indicated for biologic therapy (asthma control group).
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Use of antibiotics by the day of admission or have used antibiotics in the previous month (unless prophylactic antibiotics \> 1 month use).
• • Any person 17 years old and above.
• • Any child known to be infected with, or at high risk of having had exposure to HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C viruses
• • . Any child and/or parent/guardian who cannot understand the English language where consent would be unethical.
• • Any child with Asthma currently receiving Biologics therapy (unless recruited via bronchoscopy route).