title: The contribution of twin studies to the understanding of the aetiology of asthma and atopic diseases.
abstract: The prevalence of asthma and other atopic diseases has increased markedly during the past decades and the reasons for this are not fully understood. Asthma is still increasing in many parts of the world, notably in developing countries, and this emphasizes the importance of continuing research aimed at studying the aetiological factors of the disease and the causes of its increase in prevalence. Twin studies enable investigations into the genetic and environmental causes of individual variation in multifactorial diseases such as asthma. Thorough insight into these causes is important as this will ultimately guide the development of preventive strategies and targeted therapies. This review explores the contribution of twin studies to the understanding of the aetiology of asthma and atopic diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark; simonfrancisthomsen@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Simon F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Thomsen
keywords: Asthma; atopic dermatitis; atopic diseases; environment; epidemiology; genetic; hay fever; twin study