Creating A Risk Assessment Tool for Thunderstorm Asthma: the CARISTA Study

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE · Jul 2, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial, called the CARISTA study, is looking at a condition known as thunderstorm asthma, which happens in South-Eastern Australia during spring when certain weather conditions and pollen levels cause asthma symptoms to suddenly worsen. The study aims to find ways to predict who is most at risk of having these asthma attacks, especially people who have hay fever and are allergic to ryegrass pollen. By identifying these risks, doctors hope to help people better prepare and protect themselves during high-risk times.

The study will include adults aged 18 to 70 who have seasonal allergic rhinitis (commonly known as hay fever). Participants will be asked to take a simple lung function test, provide a blood sample, and track their symptoms and medication use using a special app during two spring seasons. The researchers want to see if certain signs or measurements can predict when asthma symptoms might get worse. People with very unstable or severe asthma, or with other serious health conditions, will not be able to join for their safety. If you have hay fever and want to help improve understanding and management of thunderstorm asthma, this study might be a good fit.

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ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Consenting adults aged 18 to 70 years with seasonal allergic rhinitis
• willing to undertake:
• • Lung function testing
• • Blood sample collection for risk factor identification, -Prospectively logging their symptoms and medications through the springtime season using the CARISTA symptom monitoring platform . -
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Individuals unable to provide informed consent
• • Individuals who do not suffer from symptoms of seasonal allergic rhinitis
• • Individuals who do not consent to lung function testing and blood sample collection - Individuals with unstable asthma (FEV1 by spirometry less than 70% predicted), a recent exacerbation or change of asthma preventive medication use (within one month) would be excluded, although re-screening would be permitted after one month, time permitting.
• • Individuals with severe asthma requiring the use of continuous oral corticosteroids or biological medication for severe asthma.
• • The presence of any medical illness, such as cardiac disease, pre-existing illness or immunomodulatory therapy that, in the opinion of the Investigators, would compromise participant safety or the derivation of biomarkers during the study.