Asthma in the Inner City and the Indoor Environment

Inner-city residents continue to suffer disproportionate asthma morbidity despite recent progress in reducing asthma morbidity and mortality in other strata of the United States population. Although many factors are likely responsible for these disparities, studies conducted over the past decade indicate that the indoor environment is a strong contributor to poor asthma control and asthma-related health care use in inner-city populations. The term “inner city” generally refers to impoverished urban neighborhoods where housing is often very old and dilapidated, so that certain indoor exposures are more common and occur in higher concentrations than in suburban communities [1]. Identification of “asthmagenic” indoor exposures has paved the way for the development of intervention strategies aimed at reducing asthma morbidity, principally by reducing these exposures. This article reviews the growing body of evidence that certain indoor environmental exposures contribute to the burden of asthma in the inner city.