A common misconception about both asthma and chronic sinusitis is that they are easily managed diseases, possibly because they are so common. Asthma affects 1 in 12 adults in the U.S., and 1 in 8 adults suffers from sinusitis. While progress has been made in treatment, many patients routinely experience daily symptoms. Gasping for air, thick nasal discharge, losing sleep, and missing work or social events, they often find life difficult to manage. Further, the financial burden on individuals can be astronomical due to a brutal combination of medical costs compounded by a loss of income. Asthma is a chronic condition that disproportionately impacts people in underserved communities — whose respiratory health also faces an outsized impact from climate change, COVID-19, California wildfires, and socioeconomic barriers to affordable health care.
The Center for Asthma and Sinus Disease at UC San Diego has a long history of excellence in clinical care and investigative inquiries ranging from basic science to clinical trials. We are recognized by the World Allergy Organization as a Center of Excellence, and UC San Diego Health Pulmonary has consistently been ranked in the top ten by U.S. News and World Report. Our purpose is to care for patients with asthma and sinus disease, especially the significant number of individuals who do not respond to standard treatments as well as those who do not have access to care. We focus our efforts by asking two questions: How can we open new frontiers for therapy? How can we deploy therapies we know work?
The formation of the UCSD Center for Asthma and Sinus Disease from disparate stakeholders (many of whom have made significant contributions to asthma research and clinical care over many years) has already paid dividends in the successful application for UCSD to be part of the prestigious National, Heart, and Blood Institutes PrecISE Network (Precision Interventions in Severe and/or Exacerbation Prone Asthma Network).