Effects of budesonide on responses to diesel exhaust and allergen exposures in allergic rhinitis

About one in every four Canadians suffers from a disease called allergic rhinitis. This causes symptoms like sneezing, itching, watery eyes, and difficulty breathing, especially when people inhale allergens from sources like trees and grasses. A type of medicine called nasal corticosteroids can usually help reduce these symptoms.
However, we do not know how exposure to air pollution, such as diesel exhaust, which is common in cities and industrial areas, might make this disease worse. We also do not know if nasal corticosteroids can help reduce the effects of exposure to diesel exhaust.
To investigate this, we conducted a study where we exposed people with allergic rhinitis to allergens and diesel exhaust separately, both with and without the use of nasal corticosteroids. This study was conducted at the Air Pollution Exposure Laboratory (APEL), a leading research facility that uses advanced controlled exposure methods to study how air pollution affects human health.
I will be looking at changes in how the nose functions as well as the levels of cells and small proteins in the nose that can underly symptoms, to see if nasal corticosteroids can effectively treat the effects of exposure to allergens and diesel exhaust.
The Master’s Studentship 2023 Award, supported by the Canadian Consortium of Clinical Trial Training Platform (CANTRAIN) Clinical Trials Training Program and Michael Smith Health Research BC, will thus help us evaluate a low-cost, accessible treatment for this growing health concern. This work will be supported by the Legacy for Airway Health (LAH), which supports knowledge translation and allows us to consult directly with patients. Since this work is being done in British Columbia, it also helps build local expertise in respiratory clinical trials and research.