20131014 Challenges in Cross Age Studies FINAL.pdf (203.48 kB)
Download fileResearching asthma across the ages: Insights from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Asthma Network
journal contribution
posted on 08.02.2016, 00:00 by Michael D. Cabana, Susan J. Kunselman, Sharmilee Nyenhuis, Michael E. WechslerClinical asthma studies across different age groups, or ‘cross-age’ studies, can potentially offer
insight into the similarities, differences and relationships between childhood and adult asthma.
The National Institutes of Health Asthma Research Network (AsthmaNet) is unique and
innovative in that it has merged pediatric and adult asthma research into one clinical research
network. This combination enhances scientific exchange between pediatric and adult asthma
investigators and encourages the application of ‘cross-age’ studies that involve participants
from multiple age groups who are generally not studied together. The experience from
AsthmaNet in the development of ‘cross-age’ protocols highlights some of the issues in the
evaluation of cross-age research in asthma. The aim of this review is to summarize these
challenges, including the selection of parallel, cross-age clinical interventions, identification of
appropriate controls, measurement of meaningful clinical outcomes, as well as various ethical
and logistical issues.