Published in JAMA, the findings are based on data from three independent U.S.-based studies that focused on Puerto Rican and African American youths, who have higher rates of asthma and are more likely to die from the disease than their non-Hispanic white counterparts.

“Asthma is the most common chronic disease of childhood, and it disproportionately affects Black and Puerto Rican children, so it’s essential that we develop new therapies to better treat these young patients,” said senior author Juan Celedón, M.D., Dr.P.H., professor of pediatrics at Pitt and chief of pulmonary medicine at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

“Because asthma is a highly variable disease with different endotypes, which are driven by different immune cells and respond differently to treatments, the first step toward better therapies is accurate diagnosis of endotype.”