This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 200508-1232SOv1 173/2/143    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Hunninghake, G. M. Articles by Celedón, J. C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Hunninghake, G. M. Articles by Celedón, J. C.

Asthma in Hispanics

Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, and Respiratory Disorders Program, Brigham and Women's Hospital; Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts

Correspondence and requests for reprints should be addressed to Juan C. Celedón, M.D., Dr.P.H., Channing Laboratory, 181 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115. E-mail: juan.celedon{at}channing.harvard.edu

Hispanic individuals trace their ancestry to countries that were previously under Spanish rule, including Mexico, large parts of Central and South America, and some Caribbean islands. Most—but not all—Hispanics have variable proportions of European, Amerindian, and African ancestry. Hispanics are diverse with regard to many factors, including racial ancestry, country of origin, area of residence, socioeconomic status, education, and access to health care. Recent findings suggest that there is marked variation in the prevalence, morbidity, and mortality of asthma in Hispanics in the United States and in Hispanic America. The reasons for differences in asthma and asthma morbidity among and within Hispanic subgroups are poorly understood but are likely due to the interaction between yet-unidentified genetic variants and other factors, including environmental tobacco smoke exposure, obesity, allergen exposure, and availability of health care. Barriers to optimal management of asthma in Hispanics in the United States and in Hispanic America include inadequate access to health care, suboptimal use of antiinflammatory medications, and lack of reference values for spirometric measures of lung function in many subgroups (e.g., Puerto Ricans). Future studies of asthma in Hispanics should include large samples of subgroups that are well characterized with regard to self-reported ethnicity, country of origin, place of birth, area of residence, and indicators of socioeconomic status. Because Hispanics are disproportionately represented among the poor in the United States, implementation of adequate access to health care and social reforms (e.g., improving housing conditions) would likely have a major impact on reducing asthma morbidity in this population.

Key Words: asthma • genetics • Hispanics • risk factors

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. M. Brehm and J. C. Celedon Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Hispanics Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., March 1, 2008; 177(5): 473 - 478. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				N. P. Ly, M. E. Soto-Quiros, L. Avila, G. M. Hunninghake, B. A. Raby, D. Laskey, J. S. Sylvia, and J. C. Celedon Paternal Asthma, Mold Exposure, and Increased Airway Responsiveness Among Children With Asthma in Costa Rica Chest, January 1, 2008; 133(1): 107 - 114. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. H. Lee, T. Haselkorn, L. Borish, L. Rasouliyan, B. E. Chipps, and S. E. Wenzel Risk Factors Associated With Persistent Airflow Limitation in Severe or Difficult-to-Treat Asthma: Insights From the TENOR Study Chest, December 1, 2007; 132(6): 1882 - 1889. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Chinn, J. Heinrich, J. M. Anto, C. Janson, D. Norback, M. Olivieri, C. Svanes, J. Sunyer, G. Verlato, M. Wjst, et al. Bronchial Responsiveness in Atopic Adults Increases with Exposure to Cat Allergen Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., July 1, 2007; 176(1): 20 - 26. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. T. Cohen, G. J. Canino, H. R. Bird, S. Shen, B. A. Rosner, and J. C. Celedon Area of Residence, Birthplace, and Asthma in Puerto Rican Children Chest, May 1, 2007; 131(5): 1331 - 1338. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				W. C. Moore and S. P. Peters Update in Asthma 2006 Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., April 1, 2007; 175(7): 649 - 654. [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. P Hersh, M. E Soto-Quiros, L. Avila, S. L Lake, C. Liang, E. Fournier, M. Spesny, J. S Sylvia, R. Lazarus, T. Hudson, et al. Genome-wide linkage analysis of pulmonary function in families of children with asthma in Costa Rica Thorax, March 1, 2007; 62(3): 224 - 230. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. A. Raby, M. E. Soto-Quiros, L. Avila, S. L. Lake, A. Murphy, C. Liang, E. Fournier, M. Spesny, J. S. Sylvia, A. Verner, et al. Sex-specific linkage to total serum immunoglobulin E in families of children with asthma in Costa Rica Hum. Mol. Genet., February 1, 2007; 16(3): 243 - 253. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. T. Cohen, J. C. Celedon, V. J. Hinckson, C. D. Ramsey, D. B. Wakefield, S. T. Weiss, and M. M. Cloutier Health-care use among puerto rican and african-american children with asthma. Chest, August 1, 2006; 130(2): 463 - 471. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]