(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Millennials are being used to help fight lung disease.
Dr. Ravi Kalhan is the Principal Investigator for The American Lung Association Lung Health Cohort Research and says the goal is to intercept the disease before it shows up in any human body.
"We really have no strategies really than telling people not to smoke cigarettes for the prevention of lung disease and this study will create the platform to understand what the risk factors are," he said.
The approach is looking for healthy younger people to observe before they have the disease.
"In the states of lung disease which is the third leading cause of death in the United States, we haven't taken that approach," Kalhan added.
Vaping, wildfires, cleaning chemicals and even COVID-19 are some of the things on the list that the American Lung Association lung health cohort research are curious about.
The 5-year study is looking for 4,000 people to take part aged 25 to 35 years old.
While not a clinical trial, it involves baseline visits for eligibility, data collection, and non-invasive procedures. This observational study, with no medical interventions, intends to shift pulmonary medicine towards preventive care, focusing on the peak lung health period of millennials.
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