Genetic aspects of pediatric lung disease.

Several genetic diseases are described which affect the lung, usually or at 
least in some cases, in the pediatric age group. The four 
disorders discussed have been selected wither for their high frequency or 
for their demonstration of the variety of ways in which genetic 
factors can influence disease: cystic fibrosis, one of the most common 
of the metabolic disorders inherited as an autosomal recessive trait; immotile 
cilia syndrome, including Kartagener's syndrome, single gene disorders involving structural abnormalities 
of the cilia; asthma, a common disorder in children with a 
genetic component; and alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency, an inherited protein deficiency commonly causing 
obstructive lung disease in adults and occasionally affecting children. 