Acute Bronchitis In General Practice: What Factors Predict A Poor Outcome And Can Antibiotics Help?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$393,750.00
Summary
In Australia acute bronchitis is one of the commonest reasons for patients to attend their general practitioner. It can have considerable impact on patients lives with patients coughing on average for two weeks, with a third spending some time in bed and a quarter not returning to their usual activities for many weeks. If they attend a general practitioner (GP) it is likely they will receive antibiotics. But researchers believe that antibiotics are over prescribed for this condition and the emer ....In Australia acute bronchitis is one of the commonest reasons for patients to attend their general practitioner. It can have considerable impact on patients lives with patients coughing on average for two weeks, with a third spending some time in bed and a quarter not returning to their usual activities for many weeks. If they attend a general practitioner (GP) it is likely they will receive antibiotics. But researchers believe that antibiotics are over prescribed for this condition and the emergence of bacterial resistance is a real concern to health authorities. GPs are therefore being urged to reduce the prescription of antibioics for this common condition. But surveys by the National Prescribing Service (NPS) indicate that this is one area where GPs find it difficult to meet national recommendations. In part this may be because GPs do not wish to undertreat or miss a serious respiratory illness. Also results from randomised controlled trials examining the effectiveness of antibiotics for acute bronchitis suggest some benefit from treatment, at least in some patients. However it is not clear who these patients are and how much benefit they would get from receiving antibiotics. This creates a great deal of uncertainity for GPs who then opt for a 'just in case prescription' for everyone presenting with acute bronchitis. Our study will re-examine the symptoms, and clinical findings of patients presenting to their GP with acute cough and explore the impact of this common illness on patients lives. We will determine who does and does not benefit from antibiotics, and give guidance to GPs about the symptoms, clinical findings and investigations that predict a poorer outcome. Evidence from this study will be incorporated into treatment guidelines for acute bronchitis leading to more rational and effective management of this common problem.Read moreRead less
Modulation Of Asthmatic Airway Inflammation By Activation Of Epithelial Proteinase Activated Receptors
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$188,912.00
Summary
Children and adults feel the symptoms of asthma because their airways close up too easily. We have discovered a new mechanism that the healthy lung uses to keep airways open. The epithelial cells which line the airway release an enzyme that cuts of a small part of another protein, called a PAR receptor, that sits on the same cell. When this happens the epithelial cell releases relaxing substances from their lower surface. The relaxing substances keep the airways open. This grant application is d ....Children and adults feel the symptoms of asthma because their airways close up too easily. We have discovered a new mechanism that the healthy lung uses to keep airways open. The epithelial cells which line the airway release an enzyme that cuts of a small part of another protein, called a PAR receptor, that sits on the same cell. When this happens the epithelial cell releases relaxing substances from their lower surface. The relaxing substances keep the airways open. This grant application is designed to test whether the relaxing system also stops the airways from developing inflammation. If the relaxing system does this we will be able to use the knowlege we have that lets us activate the PAR receptors artificially to design new types of drugs. These drugs would be better than existing asthma drugs because they would prevent inflammation and relax the airways at the same time. These drugs could also be useful in other lung diseases such as chronic bronchitis.Read moreRead less
Protracted Bacterial Bronchitis(PBB) In Children - Natural History, Innate Immunity And Obstructive Sleep Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$97,438.00
Summary
Recurrent episodes of prolonged wet cough in children, termed Protracted Bacterial Bronchitis (PBB), may cause long term lung damage. I am a paediatric respiratory and sleep subspecialist in training. Through our research we will investigate for abnormalities in the immune system of children with recurring episodes of PBB and follow these children over a 2 year period to determine whether they go on to develop lung scarring. We will also be looking for a link between PBB and obstructive sleep pr ....Recurrent episodes of prolonged wet cough in children, termed Protracted Bacterial Bronchitis (PBB), may cause long term lung damage. I am a paediatric respiratory and sleep subspecialist in training. Through our research we will investigate for abnormalities in the immune system of children with recurring episodes of PBB and follow these children over a 2 year period to determine whether they go on to develop lung scarring. We will also be looking for a link between PBB and obstructive sleep problems in children.Read moreRead less
Protracted Bacterial Bronchitis: Long Term Outcomes, Systemic And Airway Predictors Of Recurrence
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$804,405.00
Summary
Our study will determine the long term clinical outcomes of children with protracted bacterial bronchitis (PBB), a common cause of chronic cough in children. We will also conduct novel experiments that were pioneered in Australia to evaluate recurrent PBB.