Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Foreword Georg Rajka
- Preface
- Part I The nature of the problem
- Part II Descriptive studies which indicate the size of the problem
- Part III Analytical studies which point to causes of atopic dermatitis
- Part IV Intervention studies
- Part V Lessons from other fields of research
- Part VI Conclusions
- 19 The future research agenda
- Additional information
- Index
- Plate section
19 - The future research agenda
from Part VI - Conclusions
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 17 August 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Foreword Georg Rajka
- Preface
- Part I The nature of the problem
- Part II Descriptive studies which indicate the size of the problem
- Part III Analytical studies which point to causes of atopic dermatitis
- Part IV Intervention studies
- Part V Lessons from other fields of research
- Part VI Conclusions
- 19 The future research agenda
- Additional information
- Index
- Plate section
Summary
Where are we now?
This book has summarized something about the burden and causes of atopic dermatitis (AD) throughout the world. Because the subject is so vast, there will be some gaps in coverage of the material, even in a text dedicated to the epidemiology of AD. Like any printed material, some of the data in this book will be out of date within a few years, and important breakthroughs will occur. Despite these limitations, it is worth pausing for a moment to look back and see where research into the epidemiology of AD has taken us so far, in order to identify the major gaps for the future research agenda. The author has resisted the temptation to draw figures depicting his own personal theory on the causes of AD as (a) it is likely to be wrong, and (b) it will certainly be incomplete. Instead, it is considered more useful to summarize some areas of notable progress to be followed by a section on areas of notable ignorance, and then to highlight what needs to be done to address those gaps. It is hoped that this will inspire future researchers to study this interesting yet enigmatic disease.
Ten areas of notable progress
Disease definition
Even as recently as the late 1970s, at least 12 synonyms for atopic dermatitis were in use in Europe alone, and it is unclear whether these names referred to the same clinical concept.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Atopic DermatitisThe Epidemiology, Causes and Prevention of Atopic Eczema, pp. 247 - 261Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2000
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