[Etiology of asthma].
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways which occurs in genetically predisposed individuals. This common disease has an epidemic progression in western countries. Despite the identification of several candidate genes, genetic modifications cannot explain the recent increase in asthma prevalence and severity in the last forty years. Environmental factors are likely to be the cause of the progression of this epidemic inflammatory disease.
Humbert
M
M
Service de pneumologie et réanimation respiratoire Hôpital Antoine-Béclère, Université Paris-Sud 92140 Clamart. humbert@ipsc.u-psud.fr
Pham
S
S
Garcia
G
G
D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics; D004777:Environment; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007249:Inflammation / Q000209:etiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index