Busse William, Banks-Schlegel Susan, Noel Patricia, Ortega Hector, Taggart Virginia, Elias Jack
Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, Madison, USA.
Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2004 Sep 15;170(6):683-90. doi: 10.1164/rccm.200311-1539WS. Epub 2004 Jun 23.
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.
在过去20年中，哮喘的患病率几乎翻了一番，目前影响着美国8%至10%的人口。哮喘在发病率和痛苦方面仍是一种主要疾病，并且是15岁以下儿童住院的主要原因。由于哮喘给患者和社会带来终身负担，加强对其发病机制的了解是实现哮喘控制和治愈的关键因素。因此，美国国立心肺血液研究所（NHLBI）于2003年4月9日至10日召集了一个名为“哮喘未来研究方向”的外部专家工作组，以确定哮喘领域最具前景和机会的研究领域。确定的哮喘研究优先领域包括：（1）固有免疫、适应性免疫和耐受性；（2）持续性哮喘和哮喘加重的机制及后果；（3）气道重塑：临床后果和可逆性（临床相关性和缓解）；（4）遗传学/基因-环境相互作用、药物遗传学；（5）干预/预防/治疗；以及（6）哮喘的血管基础。
