ISAAC Diary

1989

Fall of Berlin wall

1990

Dec

6-7 yr and 13-14 yr age gps decided. Core methods: written questionnaire on asthma, rhinitis and eczema.
Video questionnaire on asthma likely.
Pilot study underway in 5 centres in 4 countries

Idea of lung function in 9-10 yr olds

First meeting

ECRHS began

1991

Name of The International Study on Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) suggested by Bonnie Sibbald in a London café, and adopted by the founders

March

Ulrich Keil, Neil Pearce and Innes Asher meet in Auckland. Merged the German and New Zealand initiatives

Aug

First website put online at CERN (the first webpage had been developed several months earlier)

Dec

Aims, written and video questionnaires agreed
Sample size 3000, unit school
Decision to have founding Steering Committee (Auckland, Bochum, London, Tucson , Wellington) and Data Centre, but each centre owning own data, and find its own funding
Decision to publicise ISAAC, and publish ISAAC
ISAAC Manual and brochure planned

Phase Two modules concept agreed. Develop modules for BHR, serum IgE, skin prick tests, skin examination, medications & health services.

Dissolution of Soviet union

1992

Dec

ISAAC Phase One Manual printed
90% participation of children the goal
Coding manual prepared
Brochure produced
Announcement in Lancet
2 countries, 4 centres
Contact WHO
Avoid competing with European Paediatric Asthma Study (EPAS)
Decision to try and engage some centres in all WHO regions
Develop translation guidelines
Central coordinating, library and data analysis centre in Auckland
Regional coordinating centres
National coordinating centres
Need registration form
Innes Asher appointed Chair with Ross Anderson Deputy Chair
In preference use electronic mail (fax and email)
Bimonthly newsletter
Annual Steering Committee meeting
Central funding required
ISAAC now 2 countries, 4 centres
Study to continue to run on a cooperative basis.

Further development of modules for BHR, serum IgE, skin prick tests, skin examination, medications & health services, risk factors indoor and outdoor, other respiratory symptoms

1993

April

First ISAAC newsletter

August

Phase One coding and data transfer manual printed

Oct

European Paediatric Asthma Study (EPAS) will join ISAAC
Regional coordinators assigned in all developing country regions
North America lukewarm because lack of central funding
Registration document agreed
Centre questionnaire developed
Enlarged Steering Committee - original steering committee plus Regional coordinators plus Phase Two module leaders
Executive formed
Four levels – The Steering Committee, Regional coordinators, National coordinators, participating centres
ISAAC regions decided
Coordinating Dta Centre Auckland
International version of the video developed, and the preferred version
Translation guidelines formalised
Coding and Data transfer manual Completed
Data collection completed Data collection completed in 4 countries, 13 centres
ISAAC Field work guide written by Philippa Ellwood

Nov

Pilot study published in ERJ

Dec

Second edition of Phase One manual printed

ISAAC satellite workshop on the airway reactivity module in Auckland, New Zealand
Preferred option hypertonic saline Methacholine and histamine unacceptable as availability and ethical issues rule them out in many countries. Exercise challenge not feasible as water content of atmosphere too high in many countries

1994

Oct

42 Countries 107 centres recruited, collecting data
North Am 2 countries 3 centres
W Europe 6 countries 32 centres
Asia-Pac 10 countries 19 centres
Latin Am 8 countries 8 centres
Franco Afr 1 country 1 centre
Anglo Afr 3 countries 3 centres
India 1 countries 21 centres
East Medit 5 countries 6 centres
N &East Europe 5 countries 5 centres
Oceania 2 countries 10 centres
Funding from Glaxo International
Double entry of data
Stop encouraging recruitment of centres, but accept them
Clean data set by 1 Dec 1995 to be included in initial Phase One publications

Decided age group 9-11 yr olds

Modules on blood spots, aeroallergen measurement

Structure for Phase Two decided.

David Strachan Chair of Phase Two implementation committee

1995

March

Phase One rationale and methods paper published in ERJ

Sept

Data received from 36 centres in 18 countries
Data checking and management decided
Double entry of data essential
Epi info package for ISAAC created
Approach to ecological analyses of Phase One being developed
Authorship approach decided.

ISAAC at ERS – Erika von Mutius gave a presentation 20 Sept 1995
First collaborators meeting at ERS 1995

Phase Two centres to be identified by 1996
Phase Two modules being finalised
German Phase Two studies begin

Dec

Data received in Auckland from 110 centres

1996

Sept

Centre report developed
Participation rates of <80% (13-14yr) and 70% (6-7yr) decided
Independent back translations required
Published maps to be in colour and to include enlargement of Europe
ISAAC region formerly known as EasternEurope/ Baltics will now be referred to as ‘Northern and Eastern Europe’, Scandanavian centre will be grouped with Western Europe

Confirmed hypertonic saline for BHR

ISAAC session at ERS

1997

Sept

Domain name google.com registered

Sept

Data from 48 additional centres received
A small number of centres need to be excluded
Authorship guidelines refined further
ISAAC Executive will be representation of 4 founding groups and at least one regional coordinator
Three subcommittees of the Steering Committee – Phase two, Phase Three and Data and publications
Ecological analyses planned in detail

Munster and Munich will coordinate Phase Two. Stephan Weiland will be the contact person
Hypertonic saline – children not required to inhale 23 ml of saline

Nov

First Phase One worldwide paper published

ECRHS2 began

1998

May

ISAAC Phase Two Manual printed

ISAAC website being developed

Sept

Several ecological analysis papers drafted

Phase Three is to assess trends in prevalence
Other centres not in Phase One will be distinct
Data collection 2000 -2002
Same methods as Phase One
Slide sets for SC and collabrators

1999

First publication describing low prevalence of allergy among children of farmers (Braun-Fahrländer)

Jan

First 4 Phase One worldwide papers published

March

Phase Two training seminar in Münster

Oct

At least 1000 subjects

Grant received from Glaxo Wellcome
Objectives broadened to three aims
Add environmental questionnaire
Regional coordinators confirmed
Advertise Phase Three Clean data to be received by Dec 2002

2000

July

ISAAC Phase Three Manual printed

Sept

$NZ500,000 received from GlaxoWellcome for Phase Three

Comparison with ECRHS published

Oct

Decision to put ISAAC Phase One summary data on website

Genetic analyses to be discussed

Environmental questionnaire piloted.
Expressions of interest in Phase Three176 from 83 countries (47 new centres)

ISAAC letterhead with names of all Steering Committee

2001

Feb

First Ecological analysis paper published

Sept

EU funding for 15 centres in Europe
Genetics analysis agreement developed
25 centres in Europe
11 centres in 8 other countries
Data centre in Münster

EOI 226 centres from 99 countries (91 new centres)
123 registrations
Deadline for clean data 30 November 2002
ISAAC Publication policy notified to journals

ISAAC will continue beyond Phases Two and three

2002

Sept

Phase Two Steering Group formed

Data centre moved to Ulm

226 registrations from 89 countries
Publication plan and writing groups finalised for time trend and world map papers

Principle of ‘no survey without service’ – principle for Phase Four

Nov 2002—Jul 2003

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) pandemic. 774 deaths among 8096 cases.

2003

Nov

226 registrations from 89 countries
Data at IIDC 218 centres
Translations subcommittee formed
Data deadline from Phase Three A centres delayed to 31 Dec 2003
Phase Three B mid 2004

2004

Sept

Phase Two rationale and methods paper published in ERJ

ISAAC symposium at ERS Glasgow, with ECRHS

Nov

30 centres in 22 countries had completed Phase Two

286 registrations from 107 countries

Phase Four will be an interventions study

Proceed with plans for Phase Five 2010—2012
Infant wheeze study EISL  initiated by Javier Mallol

2005

Jan

Phase Three rationale and methods paper published in Int J Tuberc Lung Dis

Oct

Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine awarded jointly to Robin Warren and Barry Marshall for discovery of Helicobacter pylori infection as a cause of peptic ulceration

Nov

Data centre will not accept any more centres

Link to Asthma Drug facility established
ISAAC Monograph planned

2006

Mutations in the filaggrin gene identified as a risk factor for eczema
GABRIEL study begins

Sept

First time trends paper published

Nov

Phase Four is about education and advocacy

2007

19 March

Stephan Weiland died unexpectedly

June

First Phase Two results paper published

Sept

Tables of first EQ results compiled

2008

Jan

Redevelopment of ISAAC website

Sept

First EQ paper published

Oct

ISAAC Monograph will be web-based

2009

Feb

First world map paper published

June

H1N1 influenza ("swine flu") declared a pandemic by the WHO

Nov

ISAAC will finish in Dec 2012 if no funding for Phase Five
ISAAC Monograph renamed ISAAC Story

2010

Last Phase One ecological worldwide analysis paper published. Total 11 publications.
Phase One individual level data on website to PIs only

ISAAC summary data on website

May

ATS ISAAC presentation on global disparities in asthma

Dec

ISAAC Story being written

First EISL publications

2011

Jan

ISAAC 20 year Symposium in Auckland

May

37^th Newsletter published

September

12 publications of Phase Two world wide analyses.

15 world wide publications to date; 4 time trends, 3 expanded worldmaps, 5 environmental analyses, 2 methodological papers, one correlation paper.