DIFFUSE LUNG-DISEASE - PRODUCT OF GENETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENCOUNTERS

Diffuse (interstitial) lung disease comprises a wide variety of condit ions, individually relatively uncommon but collectively being found in approximately 50 per 100 000 population. Some of these diseases are o f known aetiology but others are not. It has been suggested that the e nvironment is a major contributory factor in this group of diseases. H owever, since not all individuals exposed to a common environment deve lop interstitial diseases, it can be hypothesised that there is a gene tic predisposition to their development. These diseases cause major mo rbidity and mortality due to lung injury and fibrosis. It follows that , if individuals who are genetically predisposed to develop diseases c haracterised by lung injury and fibrosis can be identified, then manag ement strategies can be designed which will attempt to identify and tr eat early disease and, in the longer term, to develop targeted genetic interventional approaches to treatment.