Needs and opportunities for research in hypersensitivity pneumonitis.
Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) develops after inhalation of many different environmental antigens, causing variable clinical symptoms that often make diagnosis uncertain. The prevalence of HP is higher than recognized, especially its chronic form. Mechanisms of disease are still incompletely known. Strategies to improve detection and diagnosis are needed, and treatment options, principally avoidance, are limited. A workshop recommended: a population-based study to more accurately document the incidence and prevalence of HP; better classification of disease stages, including natural history; evaluation of diagnostic tests and biomarkers used to detect disease; better correlation of computerized tomography lung imaging and pathologic changes; more study of inflammatory and immune mechanisms; and improvement of animal models that are more relevant for human disease.
Fink
Jordan N
JN
DLD/NHLBI, Two Rockledge Center, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892-7952, USA.
Ortega
Hector G
HG
Reynolds
Herbert Y
HY
Cormier
Yvon F
YF
Fan
Leland L
LL
Franks
Teri J
TJ
Kreiss
Kathleen
K
Kunkel
Steven
S
Lynch
David
D
Quirce
Santiago
S
Rose
Cecile
C
Schleimer
Robert P
RP
Schuyler
Mark R
MR
Selman
Moises
M
Trout
Douglas
D
Yoshizawa
Yasuyuki
Y
D000328:Adult; D000542:Alveolitis, Extrinsic Allergic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D011379:Prognosis; D012106:Research / Q000639:trends*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed