A new research project – the WA Paediatric Bronchiectasis Cohort Study – officially commenced this month with the aim of looking at children with bronchiectasis in Western Australia, like nine-year-old Holly (pictured), to better understand how this disease develops during childhood.
Bronchiectasis is a condition where the breathing tubes of the lungs are damaged, widened, and thickened. Children with bronchiectasis often experience wet cough and are prone to respiratory infections, which can result in difficulties with breathing and the need for medications and hospital visits.
Bronchiectasis is one of the most underdiagnosed and neglected lung diseases in children and adults across the world. Importantly, early detection and treatment of bronchiectasis in childhood can prevent and slow progression of lung damage.
Children’s lung health researcher Dr Kathryn Ramsey, who is Co-Head of Children’s Lung Health at the Wal-yan Respiratory Research Centre, said that this study aims to gain knowledge into the disease mechanisms of childhood bronchiectasis so that targets for treatment can be identified.
“There is a desperate need to learn more about bronchiectasis, so we can identify it earlier and ensure children receive the treatment they need,” Dr Ramsey said.
This study will deliver critical evidence needed to understand the disease, identify treatment targets, inform clinical care guidelines and practice, and improve health outcomes in children with bronchiectasis in WA and beyond.
“We also expect the knowledge we gain to pave the way for clinical trials of therapies in early life aimed at changing the trajectory of lung health in children with bronchiectasis.”
Through the project a new longitudinal surveillance cohort of children with bronchiectasis who are receiving care at Perth Children’s Hospital (PCH) will be established.
The children will be invited to join the Western Australian Paediatric Bronchiectasis cohort, to be based within the Respiratory Medicine Department of PCH.
Researchers including Dr Ramsey and paediatric respiratory clinician, Associate Professor André Schultz – from the Wal-yan Respiratory Research Centre and PCH – will then follow their progress over a five-year period in a bid to better understand the disease.
Children involved will have a series of clinical tests and assessments performed as part of their usual clinical review, including lung images from chest CT scans, lung function tests, and sputum (phlegm) samples collected for microbiology. Questionnaires about quality of life and respiratory symptoms will also be undertaken.
It is anticipated that this study will yield benefits for the greater bronchiectasis community, particularly with tailoring the care and research in early bronchiectasis management to improve lung health in future generations.
This study is supported by an Investigator Grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council.
The Children's Lung Health Team at the Wal-yan Respiratory Research Centre – a powerhouse partnership between The Kids Research Institute Australia, Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation and PCH - investigates lung growth and development through infancy, childhood, adolescence and early adulthood, in health and in chronic lung disease, and the impact of preterm birth on lung health outcomes.
Learn more about the Children’s Lung Health team here