Chloe Bloom

Project: STEP DOWN: Stopping Treatment Excess in asthma, using linked Primary care Data and evaluating patient’s Opinions, across the Whole Nation

Early Career Researcher overview

Project: STEP DOWN: Stopping Treatment Excess in asthma, using linked Primary care Data and evaluating patient’s Opinions, across the Whole Nation

Funded by: National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)

Based at: Imperial College London

Email: Chloe.bloom06@imperial.ac.uk

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Chloe Bloom
Asthma UK Centre for Applied Research Early Career Researcher Chloe Bloom

Over the past decade, asthma medication has been prescribed at increasingly higher doses with many patients remaining on higher dose preventer inhalers for years. Step-down to lower doses occurs infrequently. Overtreatment may lead to adverse health and economic consequences. I aim to identify the magnitude of common serious side-effects from asthma medication, explore the barriers and facilitators for patients to stepping down and carry out a feasibility study for a future pragmatic trial to safely step-down adults on higher dose asthma medication within a primary care setting.

To undertake this project, I will use electronic healthcare records to measure the risk of pneumonia, osteoporosis, fractures, cataracts, glaucoma, diabetes, bruising and cardiovascular events. I will use a mixed-methods approach to survey and interview asthma patients. I will simultaneously conduct a feasibility study, evaluating pragmatism and recruitment.

My mentors include Professor Chris Griffiths, Centre Co-Director. I also have the support and guidance of 8 members of my Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) group. This is an NIHR Advanced Fellowship, funded for 4 years.

About me

Clinical Senior Lecturer in Respiratory Epidemiology and Honorary Respiratory Consultant at Imperial College Healthcare Trust.

Publications

Bloom CI et al. Asthma phenotypes and covid-19 risk: a population-based observational study. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2021 Oct 20. doi: 10.1164/rccm.202107-1704OC

Bloom CI et al. Risk of adverse outcomes in patients with underlying respiratory conditions admitted to hospital with COVID-19: a national, multicentre prospective cohort study using the ISARIC WHO Clinical Characterisation Protocol UK. Lancet Resp Med. 2021 Mar 4; doi: 10.1016/ S2213-2600(21)00013-8

Bloom, C. I., de Preux, L., Sheikh, A., & Quint, J. K. (2020). Health and cost impact of stepping down asthma medication for UK patients, 2001-2017: A population-based observational study. PLoS medicine, 17(7), e1003145. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003145

Bloom, C. I., Saglani, S., Feary, J., Jarvis, D., & Quint, J. K. (2019). Changing prevalence of current asthma and inhaled corticosteroid treatment in the UK: population-based cohort 2006-2016. The European respiratory journal, 53(4), 1802130. https://doi.org/10.1183/13993003.02130-2018

Bloom, C. I., Palmer, T., Feary, J., Quint, J. K., & Cullinan, P. (2019). Exacerbation Patterns in Adults with Asthma in England. A Population-based Study. American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine, 199(4), 446–453. https://doi.org/10.1164/rccm.201808-1516OC

Bloom CI, Nissen F, Douglas IJ, et al, Exacerbation risk and characterisation of the UK’s asthma population from infants to old age, Thorax 2018;73:313-320.