To investigate the relationship between farming exposures and asthma, we have developed a case-cohort study within a large cohort of farmers -- the Agricultural Health Study. This study follows up findings regarding the association between correlates of exposure to pathogen associated molecular patterns (such as endotoxin) and various questionnaire-based asthma and atopy phenotypes. It is also designed to follow-up findings based on questionnaire data of positive associations between pesticide exposures, especially organophospates, and questionnaire-based asthma phenotypes. To confirm and better understand these associations, objective measures of asthma and atopy phenotypes are needed along with more detailed exposure assessment. This study builds upon the Agricultural Health Study, a large cohort of farmers and their spouses in Iowa and North Carolina. We identified presumptive cases of asthma and non cases from the third phase of cohort follow-up and made home visits on eligible subjects. The Lung Health Study was launched on Feb 4, 2009. Field work ended September 30, 2013 and telephone interviews ended on November 15, 2013. We completed home visits with 3,255 people and 3,200 (98%) completed telephone interviews following their home visit. Pulmonary function was measure at home visit and blood was analyzed for a panel of 10 specific IgEs. Endotoxin was measured on over 2500 subjects. In the past year we have contributed to genome wide meta-analyses of pulmonary function. We have also submitted manuscripts in which we found early life farming exposure to be associated with reduced risk of atopy in adulthood. In another submitted manuscript we find house dust endotoxin to be related to asthma but not atopy.
| Baumert, Brittney O; Carnes, Megan Ulmer; Hoppin, Jane A et al. (2018) Sleep apnea and pesticide exposure in a study of US farmers. Sleep Health 4:20-26 |
| Lee, Mi Kyeong; Carnes, Megan U; Butz, Natasha et al. (2018) Exposures Related to House Dust Microbiota in a U.S. Farming Population. Environ Health Perspect 126:067001 |
| Wyss, Annah B; House, John S; Hoppin, Jane A et al. (2018) Raw milk consumption and other early-life farm exposures and adult pulmonary function in the Agricultural Lung Health Study. Thorax 73:279-282 |
| Hoppin, Jane A; Umbach, David M; Long, Stuart et al. (2017) Pesticides are Associated with Allergic and Non-Allergic Wheeze among Male Farmers. Environ Health Perspect 125:535-543 |
| House, John S; Wyss, Annah B; Hoppin, Jane A et al. (2017) Early-life farm exposures and adult asthma and atopy in the Agricultural Lung Health Study. J Allergy Clin Immunol 140:249-256.e14 |
| Fessler, Michael B; Carnes, Megan U; Salo, Päivi M et al. (2017) House Dust Endotoxin and Peripheral Leukocyte Counts: Results from Two Large Epidemiologic Studies. Environ Health Perspect 125:057010 |
| Carnes, Megan Ulmer; Hoppin, Jane A; Metwali, Nervana et al. (2017) House Dust Endotoxin Levels Are Associated with Adult Asthma in a U.S. Farming Population. Ann Am Thorac Soc 14:324-331 |
| Igartua, Catherine; Myers, Rachel A; Mathias, Rasika A et al. (2015) Ethnic-specific associations of rare and low-frequency DNA sequence variants with asthma. Nat Commun 6:5965 |
