Evolution of patient care, education, and research in asthma by one academic team of investigators over 35 years. The Northwestern University Medical School Division of Allergy-Immunology Experience: Part One.

This report reviews approximately 35 years of patient care, teaching, and research on asthma in one academic unit at Northwestern University Medical School. Historical perspectives are summarized on the delivery of care for asthma, therapeutic regimens for asthma we believed in (and were wrong), and diagnosis and management in the last decade of this century. Particular problems, such as potentially fatal asthma and assessment and management of such problems, are discussed. Finally, certain aspects of our basic research programs and their relevance to asthma are briefly reviewed. An outline of contents is shown in Table I.