Pulmonology

Obesity can contribute to worse asthma outcomes, including a reduced response to controller medication and a need for oral corticosteroids. This study sought to determine the association between obesity and oral corticosteroid prescription in Latino and non-Hispanic white children. Electronic health records from community health centers across the United States were included, with a sample...

Despite a downward trend in the prevalence of asthma in children, a troubling increase in asthma disparities between minority and non-minority individuals is being observed. The reasons for these disparities are still not well understood. To investigate this observation, researchers in Houston, Texas compared economic, demographic, and environmental data with asthma diagnoses to find possible...

The fact that racial/ethnic minorities experience higher asthma incidence and worse asthma outcomes than their white counterparts has been well documented; however, the etiologies of this disparity are less understood. Asthma is a complex disease with many factors at play in its development and management, making it difficult to pinpoint what causes it to occur...

Asthma continues to be a pervasive epidemic in the United States that disproportionately affects Black and Brown individuals in terms of incidence as well as morbidity and mortality. These disparities may, in part, be due to ancestry. Genetic markers, for example, have shown associations between African ancestry and lower lung function. However, it is also well...

African Americans experience worse asthma morbidity and mortality than Caucasian Americans. Research from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute reported that African American children respond differently to asthma therapy than African American adults, Caucasian children, and Caucasian adults. Yet, tailoring asthma treatment for African American children may prove difficult, as these children have not been...

This study from the Journal of Asthma focuses on developing a better understanding of the relationship among asthma, obesity, and health behaviors in African American youth.   The study participants included 195 African Americans aged 11 to 18. Cross-sectional relationships were assessed among asthma, body mass index (BMI) percentile, caloric intake, dietary inflammatory index, moderate-vigorous physical...

Asthma is the most common chronic childhood disease. It is known to be influenced by social determinants of health. This study from The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice, reviews social determinants of asthma and how to address them in the clinical setting. When discussing social determinants, the researchers highlight housing, overall neighborhood safety, and...

Asthma education is essential for successful individual management of asthma symptoms. On a community level, asthma education and treatment centers are an effective public health intervention for managing asthma. This study, published in the Journal of Environmental and Public Health, provides an analysis of regional disparities in the distribution of asthma education programs throughout the state...

Researchers have long known about disparities in access to care for individuals with asthma and COPD. These disparities are often compounded by additional factors that exacerbate symptoms and make the entire care process more difficult. In the past, researchers have focused on the racial, ethnic, and economic breakdown of these disparities. This study, published in Chest, focuses...