Determine the Prevalence and Severity of Asthma in HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) Infected Patients

Prospectively clinically phenotype and the prevalence of asthma in HIV infected patients in the Duke ID Clinic

• HIV infected asthmatic subjects meeting clinical definitions for asthma compared to HIV uninfected asthma subjects identified at the DAAAC and HIV infected non-asthmatic subjects.
• Prospective immunological phenotyping - HIV-infected asthma subjects prospectively identified and clinically phenotyped compared to HIV-uninfected asthma subjects identified at the DAAAC and HIV infected non-asthma subjects.

Regarding the sampling method of probability sample: All samples for HIV infected asthmatic patients, HIV uninfected asthmatic patients and HIV infected non-asthmatics patients will be analyzed.

Retrospectively determine overall asthma prevalence and severity among HIV-infected patients. Retrospective immunological phenotyping (circulating cytokines) of HIV-infected patients utilizing available specimens in the Duke HIV Specimen Biorepository

• HIV-infected asthmatic subjects meeting asthma definition compared to overall asthma prevalence in U.S. population
• HIV-infected asthma subjects meeting asthma definitions compared to matched HIV-infected non-asthma subjects

Inclusion criteria

• HIV infected asthmatic and non-asthmatic adults ≥18 years
• HIV uninfected asthma adults ≥18 years
• Females of childbearing potential have to be using medically acceptable contraceptive method for the duration of the study.
• Willing and able to give informed consent and adhere to visit/protocol schedules.
• Negative pregnancy test in women of childbearing potential
• For asthma patients: known or possible diagnosis of asthma for at least one year

Exclusion criteria

• Antibiotic administration for upper respiratory infection within the prior 30 days
• Greater than 10 pack a year smoking history
• No prior use of steroids (systemic) within the past 3 months
• Underlying illnesses that may result in altered lung function
• Students or employees who are under direct supervision of any Project or Core PI/Director.
• Pregnant or nursing mothers.
• Poorly controlled concomitant conditions as determined by the investigator.
• Subjects who have had an elective procedure (for example, colonoscopy, cystoscopy, etc.) within less than 2 weeks of the procedure date cannot be enrolled in the HIV Asthma study
• Subjects must delay enrollment by 2 weeks into the HIV Asthma study if they have received a single dose of systemic steroids