An integrated environmental asthma model.

Asthma is a significant public health problem in many communities. Symptoms of asthma occur as a direct or indirect result of many contributing factors, including influences from the natural and built environments, human behavior, and the adequacy of techniques used in its management. A model is presented to integrate many of these contributing factors, highlighting the characteristics of the atmosphere, i.e., climate, irritants, and allergens. The model stresses the need for investigators to heed the many contributing triggers and influences, including possible synergistic mechanisms, in this disease.