David A. Schwartz

Asthma is the most common chronic disease of childhood in the United States, affecting nearly 6.5 million children. The prevalence and severity of childhood asthma have continued to increase over the past 2 decades, despite major advances in the recognition and treatment of this condition. Representing a heterogeneous collection of airway diseases, asthma has multiple pathologic processes resulting from the interactions of genetic susceptibility and environmental exposures. Preventing and treating airway disease in children will require new research approaches to understanding these complex interactions.

Although much progress has been made in understanding the biology and clinical course of interstitial pneumonia, the etiology of this disease remains elusive. Epidemiologic studies have consistently identified cigarette smoke as an important exposure; however, most smokers do not develop interstitial pneumonia and many individuals with interstitial pneumonia do not smoke cigarettes. Moreover, interstitial pneumonias have been reported to cluster in families. Thus, a more thorough understanding of the genetic etiology of interstitial pneumonia may prove critically important in defining the biology and clinical course of this complex human disease.