# Symptom clusters in children with exacerbation-prone asthma

> **NIH NIH R01** · EMORY UNIVERSITY · 2023 · $465,365

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Climate change poses a significant threat to respiratory health in patients with asthma through synergistic
disturbances in air quality and airborne allergens. However, the effects of climate change and air pollution are
not equal and are substantially greater in socially vulnerable populations of children. For example, Black and
Hispanic children are more likely to live in lower opportunity neighborhoods due to systemic structural racism
and historic red lining practices, are exposed to more pollutants, and have more severe asthma exacerbations
attributable to air pollution. This is a public health crisis since asthma exacerbations are a primary predictor of
future hospital admission and significantly increase the risk of asthma-related death. Dr. Fitzpatrick has built an
extensive research program focused on socially vulnerable populations of children with asthma. Her current
R01, Symptom Clusters in Children with Exacerbation-Prone Asthma (R01NR018666), is a 12-month
longitudinal study of school-age children with a recent asthma exacerbation who are clustered into separate
groups based on a battery of patient-reported outcome (symptom) measures. Clinical outcomes and
inflammatory and metabolic pathways are then compared between cluster groups. However, climate and air
quality are not assessed. This administrative supplement will utilize previously collected data and samples from
the parent R01 and will add new assessments (characterization of social vulnerability and air quality), new
experiments (transcriptomics and multi-omic associations), and additional personnel with expertise to pursue
Climate Change and Health (CCH) initiatives. The central hypothesis is that climate change-induced
disruptions in air quality worsen asthma inflammation, symptoms, and longitudinal outcomes in school-age
children with asthma and that these effects are mediated by social vulnerability. Specific aims are to: 1)
determine associations between climate, air quality, symptoms, and outcomes in children with exacerbation-
prone asthma during two climate seasons, and 2) determine the biological impact of climate and pollutants in
children with exacerbation prone asthma. This administrative supplement addresses two Core Pillars of the
CCH Initiative: Health Effects Research, investigation of the influences of climate change on health outcomes
and biological mechanisms, and Health Equity, recognizing and responding to the needs of populations most
at risk. The timeline for completion is one year. The results are expected to advance systems-level
understanding of the impact of climate change-associated air pollution on vulnerable children with asthma and
provide key preliminary data for an R01 interventional study in this field.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10838820
- **Project number:** 3R01NR018666-05S1
- **Recipient organization:** EMORY UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Anne Mentro Fitzpatrick
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $465,365
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2019-09-10 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10838820

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10838820, Symptom clusters in children with exacerbation-prone asthma (3R01NR018666-05S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10838820. Licensed CC0.

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