Pneumonia Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Pneumonia, including details on symptoms, viral, bacterial, treatment, causes, walking pneumonia.

Community-acquired pneumonia: pathophysiology and host factors with focus on possible new approaches to management of lower respiratory tract infections.

Wunderink RG, Waterer GW

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 676 North St. Clair, Suite 14-044, Chicago, IL 60611, USA. r-wunderink@northwestern.edu

The present understanding of the pathophysiology of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) explains the mechanism for many specific manifestations, but does not address adequately why only some patients experience complications. Recent advances in under-standing the genetics of complex illnesses offer hope for a more complete insight into the pathogenesis of CAP. This article reviews genetic variation in the molecules involved in the known patho-genic mechanisms of CAP, including cough, bacterial recognition, inflammation and the compensatory anti-inflammatory response,and organ dysfunction.

Published 23 November 2004 in Infect Dis Clin North Am, 18(4): 743-59, vii.
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