Asthma and the environment: do environmental factors affect the incidence and prognosis of asthma?
Rising mortality and prevalence rates for asthma in the United States and other countries have again raised concern that environmental agents, particularly air pollutants, may be responsible. While asthma has been linked to environmental causes and triggers, we still have not found specific agents underlying the increasing morbidity and mortality from the disease. Research may be strengthened by the identification of genes for asthma, leading to improved characterization of gene-environment interactions and by more accurate methods for exposure assessment.
Samet
J M
JM
Department of Epidemiology, School of Hygiene and Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
D000397:Air Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors