Respiratory Diseases in Children

6. Which aspects of respiratory diseases require further research?

In order to better assess respiratory health risks for children, researchers need to:

• Study impacts on respiratory health of new building materials and agents used in the indoor environment.
• Evaluate interactions between the outdoor and indoor environments.
• Evaluate interactions between the effects of the environment and genes.
• Assess effects of exposure to air pollution at different stages of development.
• Establish uniform European definitions for respiratory symptoms.
• Carry out evidence based reviews of environmental hazards.
• Develop methods for the identification of genetic susceptibility.
• Identify genes associated with respiratory disorders.
• Study the medium- to long-term effects of exposures in early life by following the health of children over a number of years.

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