SLU Receives Grant for Pilot EID Study
Saint Louis University Athletic Training faculty member Katherine Newsham, PhD, ATC was awarded a research and
education grant from the
Mid-America Athletic Trainer's Association (MAATA).
Her proposal, titled "Evaluation of Exercise Induced Dyspnea in
Athletes," will evaluate the efficacy of various diagnostic measures used
for exercise induced dyspnea (EID) and vocal cord dysfunction (VCD) in
athletes. This is a multi-disciplinary project, including providers from
pulmonology and speech pathology, in addition to athletic training.
According to Newsham, exercise induced dyspnea (difficulty breathing) is a relatively common complaint among athletes. When this reaches
the point that the athlete seeks medical care, he or she is often diagnosed
with exercise induced bronchospasm. Unfortunately, as many as 40 percent of
these diagnoses are inaccurate, meaning some other condition is causing the
problem. The inaccurate diagnoses contribute to increased physician visits,
increased medical testing and increased cost of managing the condition to say
nothing of the frustration experienced by the athletic patient.
"We believe that a diagnostic testing protocol that
emphasizes 'point of care' testing and minimal specialized equipment could
provide the athletic health care team with objective measures to guide the
development of an appropriate plan of treatment while minimizing costs and time
often associated with evaluation of EID," said Newsham, who is an
assistant professor in the athletic training education program.
"This grant provides us with funding to purchase test
kits that evaluate exercised induced bronchospasm and we are utilizing the
facilities, equipment, and expertise of the SLU faculty in various disciplines
to evaluate other conditions, including vocal cord dysfunction," Newsham
said.
The team working with Newsham on the grant includes Ethel
Frese, DPT, PhD of the Program in Physical Therapy; Blakelee Noyes, M.D., of
Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center; Dennis Fuller, Ph.D., of the
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders; and Richard McGuire, Ph.D.,
also of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.
Newsham was notified that her proposal was selected for
funding Feb. 15, and she will formally accept the grant March 16 at an awards
dinner in Topeka, Kansas.
Long a leader in educating health professionals, Saint Louis
University offered its first degree in an allied health profession in 1929.
Today the Doisy College of Health Sciences offers 13 diverse undergraduate
programs and seven post-baccalaureate degrees. The college's unique curriculum
prepares students to work with health professionals from all disciplines to
ensure the best possible patient care.
