Asthma: epidemics and epidemiology.

Asthma: epidemics and epidemiologyA recent editorial in Thorax challenged its readers with an interest in the aetiology of asthma to investigate potential causative agents in the environment using epidemiological methods.'The aetiology of scurvy, it was argued, was established readily enough from a recognition in population studies that the disease was associated with a lack of fresh fruit and vegetables.Epidemiological tools for investigating asthma have, however, been available for some time, and yet its aetiology remains a major puzzle.Furthermore, its incidence and mortality appear to be rising despite considerable advances in the development of efficacious medication.2"5