Asthma is the most common chronic disease of children and disproportionately affects minority and low-income children. Current pediatric asthma research in this high-risk group focuses on children living in inner-city environments. Low-income, minority children with asthma from non-urban locales have not been studied extensively. The specific aims of the study will examine the impact of home environmental exposure to endotoxin on asthma severity and atopy status in the rural setting among predominately African American, low-income asthmatics. This study will answer several research questions. The first question involves the relationship between asthma severity and exposure to endotoxin among rural children at high risk for increased morbidity and mortality. Second, the relationship between atopy and endotoxin exposure has been the subject of recent debates among asthma researchers. The hygiene hypothesis suggest that the recent rise in atopic disease in Westernized societies is due to decreased microbial burden. Last data on atopy and aeroallergen exposure among high-risk rural asthmatics will be critical in the design and implementation of future intervention programs.
