Severe Asthma Service

The Severe Asthma Service is based in our airways clinic at Nottingham City Hospital, North corridor.

Asthma is a disease of the breathing tubes. Asthma causes these tubes to narrow and become inflamed. Severe (or difficult) asthma is the definition used to describe those people who are suffer from asthma attacks (exacerbations)  even if they are receiving optimal treatment, or are regular users of high dose inhaled or oral steroids.

At Nottingham University Hospitals, we have a team of healthcare professionals who  provide inpatient and outpatient care, including specialist nurses, physiotherapists and doctors. 

As well as providing care for patients from across Nottinghamshire we also treat patients via referrals from Derby, Kings Mill, Boston, Grantham and Lincoln Hospitals.

As part of our Severe Asthma Service we offer the following tests to patients with difficult to treat asthma.

Investigations include:

• Spirometry and reversibility
• Inhaler technique checking and personalisation
• Blood tests including aspergillus serology, total IgE, specific IgE.
• Skin prick tests to common aeroallergen (dog, cat, house dust mite, tree, grass pollen, aspergillus)
• 24 hour pH manometry
• Overnight oximetry
• Exhaled nitric oxide*
• Induced sputum*
• Methacholine hyperresponsiveness*
• We also offer a broad range of treatments for severe asthma including:
  anti-IgE, bronchial thermoplasty and treatment guided by inflammometry.

(Asthma investigations/tests labelled with an * are not available uniformly in the NHS)

Please ask your GP for a referral to our service.

World-leading respiratory research

Research is vital in the development of better treatments, diagnostic tests and improved patient care. The NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre has a wide portfolio of research into respiratory diseases including asthma, from basic science at a cellular level, through clinical and onto the epidemiological and genetic background of asthma.

The NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre is a partnership with the University of Nottingham bringing together clinicians, scientists and academics to work together to improve care for our patients.

Our facilities also form part of the NIHR Nottingham Clinical Research Facility providing dedicated resources to support commercial, early phase and experimental medicine trials.

Take part in a trial

Our vital research can only take place if people with asthma volunteer to take part.

We are grateful to all those people who have given up their time to take part in studies. We would also like to invite anyone who has not taken part but who may be interested to contact us.

You can find more information about taking part in a research trial in our Patient and Public Involvement pages.

To contact the Severe Asthma team, Tel: 0115 969 1169 Ext: 51980

Fax: 0115 823 1946