Epidemiology of Respiratory Allergies and Asthma

It is estimated that some 260 million persons suffer from asthma, which is the most common chronic disease among children. Despite decades of biomedical and epidemiological research, the etiology and pathogenesis of asthma remain poorly understood. Although many potential risk factors have been identified, none of these on their own appears to explain the global increases in asthma prevalence observed in the last few decades. They also cannot explain the significant differences in asthma prevalence between countries. Therefore, a single target for intervention has not (yet) been identified.