# The Home Environment and Re-hospitalization in COPD study (HEAR COPD)

> **NIH NIH R01** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $609,509

## Abstract

COPD is a costly disease with a large burden of costs driven by healthcare utilization during acute exacerbations
of illness, particularly those driven by emergency room and hospital visits. Additionally, a large proportion of
individuals with COPD recently hospitalized for acute exacerbations are re-hospitalized both within one month
but also within a year. These re-hospitalizations place a tremendous burden of cost on society not just due to
direct costs but also indirect costs and lost productivity. A majority of individuals with COPD are discharged
home, back to the very environment that was likely contributing to their disease morbidity. Indoor air pollution
and allergen sensitization with exposure are important components of the home environment that likely
contribute to exacerbation risk as has been shown in mostly stable, outpatient populations of former smokers
with COPD. However, little is known about these factors in the highly vulnerable population of individuals recently
hospitalized with COPD exacerbations, who have different characteristics and competing risks than stable
outpatient populations. Accordingly, we propose a single center observational study of individuals with COPD,
to be recruited during hospitalization for COPD exacerbation. We hypothesize that in-home air pollution,
including ultrafine and fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide (Specific Aim 1) as well as allergen
sensitization with exposure (Specific Aim 2) will be associated with heightened risk for the primary outcome of
interest, re-hospitalization for COPD exacerbation. The home environment will be assessed within 1 week of
discharge from the hospital, and again at 3, 6, and 9 months post index hospitalization in addition to clinical
measures. Outcomes will be assessed up to one year post index hospitalization. This study will provide much
needed information about the contribution of indoor air pollution and allergen sensitization with exposure to re-
hospitalizations in the high-risk population of individuals with COPD recently hospitalized for exacerbation. We
believe that this study can provide valuable information which can ultimately be utilized to design interventions
to modify the home environment post-hospital discharge with the goal to improve outcomes including re-
hospitalization risk in COPD.
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## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10414045
- **Project number:** 5R01ES029999-04
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Nirupama Putcha
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $609,509
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-15 → 2024-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10414045

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10414045, The Home Environment and Re-hospitalization in COPD study (HEAR COPD) (5R01ES029999-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10414045. Licensed CC0.

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