Ten years of research on asthma in Europe. The European Community Respiratory Health Survey

The European Community Respiratory Health Survey was designed to provide basic information on the prevalence and distribution of asthma in Europe, to asses whether any variation noted could be explained by the distribution of atopy and other risk factors, and to determine the distribution of therapy for asthma. The project has developed a methodology for studying these factors in different settings and has provided a mechanism for quality control in the collection and analysis of the data. Initially funded to look within the European Community, it has been expanded to include selected areas outside Europe. The descriptive analyses are now almost complete, but there is still a great deal of further analysis to be undertaken on the relation between risk factors and atopy and asthma within the data set.