Kid helping in asthma study wants a go-cart

Fulton Edwards

Ten-year-old Fulton Edwards is becoming a veteran at medical studies about asthma. He's saving his study earnings to buy a go-cart.

A fourth-grader at Clarence Cannon Elementary School in Elsberry, Fulton has mild asthma. He's just the sort of kid that St. Louis Children's Hospital was looking for to help with tests of asthma medicines.

Fulton is now taking part in his second study. This one is called PACT. That stands for Pediatric Asthma Controller Trial. It's a year-long study of three asthma treatments to see which offers best results for kids with mild asthma.

Fulton is one of several hundred kids in the nationwide study being conducted at five cities. A total of 60 kids are to be tested in St. Louis. Children's Hospital and Washington University's School of Medicine will conduct the study locally.

(The St. Louis study still has openings for kids. If you and your parents would like to learn more about participating, see the sidebar below.)

Fulton's first study was five months long. It also was conducted by Children Hospital and Washington U. That involved two asthma medications.

Asked about the studies, Fulton said, "They're fun. When I come here, I get food. I started this study on my birthday in December. We had a party and I got cookies."

He's on a first-name basis with his doctor and the technicians who administer the study.

But, what he really likes is getting paid. He will earn $50 for each of seven or eight St. Louis visits he'll make in the year-long study. He also will get $15 for each of the three or four phone interviews he'll does from home.

He got similar pay during the first five-month study.

Fulton was in third grade when he participated in that first study. At that time, he was taking a Dollars and Sense class at his school. That study is sponsored by the Missouri State Treasurer's office. It helps kids learn more about money than just spending it.

During a tour of the Elsberry bank, Fulton started his savings account.

Fulton admits, when he gets smaller amounts of money, he's likely to spend it quickly.

Fulton doing one of his tests

But, he treats his medical study money differently. That all goes in the bank because he's got a bigger purchase in mind. He's got his eye on purchasing a go-cart that he can ride around his neighborhood in Elsberry.

"Now, I've got a lot of money in the bank," he said.

It's not yet clear whether his study savings will pay all the costs of the go-cart. But, his mother and father have told him they'll probably chip in if his savings aren't quite enough.

Fulton's current asthma activity is called a double-blinded study. It works this way:

Each kid in the test gets three packages that look like medicine. There are two inhalers and one box of pills. One package has real medicine and the other two are called placebos.

Fulton uses one inhaler in the morning and the other at night along with the pill. He said, "I'm not sure which of mine is real. I think I may know but I'm not sure."

Medical testers use this technique to make sure their test results are based only on facts.

Fulton also keeps a daily diary and notes any changes in his health.

Then, about every other month, he comes to St. Louis for a checkup. The checkup also includes tests such as measuring lung capacity and other aspects of his asthma.

One test measures how strong he can blow out. That machine is hooked to a computer. When he blows hard enough, the computer image of a little girl in a balloon moves.

His weight and height is checked. Fulton said, "When they take blood, I get a prize."

Fulton is a kid whose mild asthma is under control most of the time. But, he does keep an Albuterol inhaler with him to use if he feels an asthma attack coming on.

But, Fulton doesn't let his asthma limit his activities. He plays both baseball and soccer in school. His father, Thomas, said, "The coaches monitor him and, if he has trouble in his chest, they make him sit down."

Fulton said some grasses and weeds can cause his asthma to flare up. "I'm allergic to cats but I can be around them," he said.

His mother, Geraldine, who also has asthma, said, "The asthma doesn't slow him down."

 

Asthma study has more openings
for local kids with mild asthma

The PACT study of kids with mild asthma still has openings. A total of 60 local kids are needed for the year-long study of three asthma medications.

Dr. Robert Strunk is the lead investigator of the Pediatric Asthma Controller Trial. He is an allergist at St. Louis Children's Hospital and a professor at Washington University's School of Medicine.

If you would like to participate in the study, your parents or guardians could contact the study coordinator at (314) 286-1173 or toll free at 1-866-841-2273.

To find out more about the studies, you can check: www.asthma-carenet.org.

To be eligible, a kid must have asthma and be between 6 and 13 years of age. They must be non-smokers and be able to perform lung function tests. All enrollees must be able to complete all study visits.

This is a 12 month study.

The study is to determine the differences in improvement from three asthma medicines.