Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: The Epidemiology of Susceptibility to Airborne Particulates and Allergens to Asthma in African Americans
EPA Grant Number: R832139C001Subproject: this is subproject number 001 , established and managed by the Center Director under grant R832139
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
Center: Center for the Study of Childhood Asthma in the Urban Environment
Center Director: Hansel, Nadia
Title: The Epidemiology of Susceptibility to Airborne Particulates and Allergens to Asthma in African Americans
Investigators: Diette, Greg
Institution: The Johns Hopkins University
EPA Project Officer: Callan, Richard
Project Period: November 1, 2003 through October 31, 2008 (Extended to October 31, 2010)
RFA: Centers for Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research (2003) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Children's Health , Human Health
Objective:
The long-term goal of the Center for Childhood Asthma in the Urban Environment was to examine how exposures to environmental pollutants and allergens may relate to airway inflammation and respiratory morbidity in children with asthma living in the inner city of Baltimore, and to search for new ways to reduce asthma morbidity by reducing exposure to these agents.
The first project was a community-based epidemiologic study of 400 children, ages 6-12, and their homes to identify relevant airborne exposures and to examine genetic determinants of asthma morbidity resulting from these exposures.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
Project 1 has examined the relationship of polymorphisms in genes encoding IL13, TLR4 and BADr and exposure to pollutants and allergens in the homes of asthmatic and control children by enrolling 150 children with asthma and 150 control children without asthma. Fifty-eight percent of the children were male, 91% African-American and 88% had public health insurance. Housing characteristics related to pollutant exposure and bedroom air pollutant levels did not differ significantly between asthmatic and control subjects [median: PM 2.5 28.7 vs. 28.5 mg/m3, PM 10 43.6 vs. 41.4 mg/m3, NO2 21.6 vs 20.9 ppb, Ozone 1.4 vs. 1.8 ppb, all p >0.05]. Settled dust allergen levels (cat, dust mite, cockroach, dog and mouse) also were similar in bedrooms of asthmatic and control children. From these analyses, we conclude that exposures to common home indoor pollutants and allergens are similar for inner city pre-school children with and without asthma. While these exposures may exacerbate existing asthma, this study does not support a causative role of these factors for risk of developing childhood asthma.
Conclusions:
Our findings have several implications to the field of asthma. These studies do not support that the studied exposures (allergens and pollutants) cause asthma in the inner city by overabundance. The similar exposure levels in asthma and control subjects point toward individual susceptibility to these exposures if they are implicated in asthma pathogenesis. We have found low use of environmental control practices in this inner city population, and have found behavioral determinants of these practices. We have found a link between fear of violence (not awareness alone) and caregiver depression, which may be an important link to lower quality of asthma care of pre-school children. We also have reported very low compliance with guideline-recommended long-term control medications, which is a critical factor in the asthma health of this population.
Journal Articles on this Report : 6 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
| Other subproject views: | All 38 publications | 38 publications in selected types | All 38 journal articles |
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| Other center views: | All 117 publications | 116 publications in selected types | All 113 journal articles |
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Curtin-Brosnan J, Matsui EC, Breysse P, McCormack MC, Hansel NN, Tonorezos ES, Eggleston PA, Williams DL, Diette GB. Parent report of pests and pets and indoor allergen levels in inner-city homes. Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology 2008;101(5):517-523. |
R832139 (Final) R832139C001 (Final) |
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Diette GB, Patino CM, Merriman B, Paulin L, Riekert K, Okelo S, Thompson K, Krishnan JA, Quartey R, Perez-Williams D, Rand C. Patient factors that physicians use to assign asthma treatment. Archives of Internal Medicine 2007;167(13):1360-1366. |
R832139 (2007) R832139 (Final) R832139C001 (2007) R832139C001 (Final) |
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Hansel NN, Diette GB. Gene expression profiling in human asthma. Proceedings of the American Thoracic Society 2007;4(1):32-36. |
R832139 (2007) R832139 (Final) R832139C001 (2007) R832139C001 (Final) |
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Hansel NN, Breysse PN, McCormack MC, Matsui EC, Curtin-Brosnan J, Williams DL, Moore JL, Cuhran JL, Diette GB. A longitudinal study of indoor nitrogen dioxide levels and respiratory symptoms in inner-city children with asthma. Environmental Health Perspectives 2008;116(10):1428-1432. |
R832139 (Final) R832139C001 (Final) |
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Matsui EC, Wood RA, Rand C, Kanchanaraksa S, Swartz L, Eggleston PA. Mouse allergen exposure and mouse skin test sensitivity in suburban, middle-class children with asthma. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2004;113(5):910-915. |
R832139 (2004) R832139 (2005) R832139 (2007) R832139 (Final) R832139C001 (Final) R832139C002 (2004) |
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Sharma HP, Matsui EC, Eggleston PA, Hansel NN, Curtin-Brosnan J, Diette GB. Does current asthma control predict future health care use among black preschool-aged inner-city children? Pediatrics 2007;120(5):e1174-1181. |
R832139 (Final) R832139C001 (Final) |
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Supplemental Keywords:
RFA, Health, Scientific Discipline, Air, PHYSICAL ASPECTS, HUMAN HEALTH, Health Risk Assessment, Physical Processes, particulate matter, Epidemiology, Allergens/Asthma, Health Effects, Genetics, asthma morbidity, air pollutant, asthma, asthma triggers, human exposure, long term exposure, respiratory, indoor-outdoor relationships, children's health, morbidity, airway variablity, allergens, children, epidemiological studies, exposure, minority children, PM, cockroaches, minorities, airborne pollutants, air pollutionProgress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractMain Center Abstract and Reports:
R832139 Center for the Study of Childhood Asthma in the Urban Environment Subprojects under this Center: (EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
R832139C001 The Epidemiology of Susceptibility to Airborne Particulates and Allergens to Asthma in African Americans
R832139C002 A Randomized Controlled Trial of Behavior Changes in Home Exposure Control
R832139C003 Mechanisms of Particulate-Induced Allergic Asthma
R832139C004 Dendritic Cell Activation by Particulate Matter and Allergen
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.
Project Research Results
- 2009
- 2008
- 2007 Progress Report
- 2006 Progress Report
- 2005 Progress Report
- 2004 Progress Report
- Original Abstract
38 journal articles for this subproject
Main Center: R832139
117 publications for this center
113 journal articles for this center