Inequalities and Inequities in Pediatric Respiratory Diseases.

Social inequality refers to disparities in society that have the effect of limiting a group's socioeconomic, educational, and intellectual potential. Inequity in health means any limitation to access comprehensive health services that also hinders the achievement of well-being and favorable health outcomes. Strategies for more equitable growth to eradicate global poverty would contribute to reducing health inequities and improve health care outcomes.

Hispanic Infants with cystic fibrosis show low CFTR mutation detection rates in the Illinois newborn screening program.

States develop specific protocols for cystic fibrosis (CF) newborn screening to reflect the population served. We hypothesized that mutation distribution and detection rates would differ between Hispanic and non-Hispanic CF patients diagnosed by IL newborn screen with more Hispanic infants carrying mutations not detected by the state panel. Data from CF cases diagnosed via newborn screen in IL between 3/1/2008 and 10/31/2010 were reviewed.

Elevated vascular endothelial growth factor is correlated with elevated erythropoietin in stable, young cystic fibrosis patients.

Angiogenesis is an important mechanism of airway remodeling in lung disease. We previously demonstrated that serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is elevated in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients and declines with therapy for pulmonary exacerbation. We hypothesized that VEGF is elevated early in the course of CF and is associated with markers of tissue hypoxia.

Increased prevalence of risk factors for morbidity and mortality in the US Hispanic CF population.

Hispanic ethnicity is an independent risk factor for increased morbidity and mortality in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. In order to compare the prevalence of risk factors for morbidity and mortality between the Hispanic CF population and the non-Hispanic CF population, we performed a cross-sectional study of patients in the 2004 Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Patient Registry. Among 22,714 CF patients, 1,511 were identified as ethnic Hispanic.