Future research directions in asthma: an NHLBI Working Group report.
Over the last 20 years, the prevalence of asthma has nearly doubled and now affects 8-10% of the population in the United States. Asthma also remains a major illness in terms of morbidity and suffering, and is the leading cause of hospitalizations in children under 15 years of age. Because asthma poses a lifelong burden to patients and society, efforts to increase the understanding of its pathogenesis are a key factor leading to its control and cure. Consequently, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) convened a Working Group of extramural experts, entitled "Future Research Directions in Asthma," on April 9-10, 2003, to identify research areas of greatest promise and opportunity in the field of asthma. The priority areas identified for research in asthma include: (1) innate immunity, adaptive immunity, and tolerance; (2) mechanisms and consequences of persistent asthma and asthma exacerbations; (3) airway remodeling: clinical consequences and reversibility (clinical relevance and resolution); (4) genetics/gene-environment interactions, pharmacogenetics; (5) intervention/prevention/therapeutics; and (6) vascular basis of asthma.
Busse
William
W
Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, Madison, USA.
Banks-Schlegel
Susan
S
Noel
Patricia
P
Ortega
Hector
H
Taggart
Virginia
V
Elias
Jack
J
D001249:Asthma / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D009316:National Institutes of Health (U.S.); D012106:Research / Q000639:trends*; D014481:United States