EUROPEAN RESPIRATORY MONOGRAPH OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE EUROPEAN RESPIRATORY SOCIETY Editor in Chief E.F.M. Wouters, University Hospital Maastricht, Dept of Pulmonology, P.O. Box 5800, 6202 AZ Maastricht, the Netherlands. Tel: 31 43 3875044 Fax: 31 43 3877087. E-mail: ewo@slon.azm.nl Secretary: M. Pesik Tel: 31 433875044 Fax: 31 433877087 E-mail: mhy@slon.azm.nl Publications Office: L. Arnold (Publications Manager), ERS Journals Ltd, Suite 2.4, Hutton's Building, 146 West Street, Sheffield, S1 4ES, UK. Tel: 44 114 2780498 Fax: 44 114 2780501. E-mail: Linda.Arnold@ersj.org.uk ERS SCHOOL Chairman K-H Carlsen, Voksentoppen Children's Asthma and Allergy Centre, Ullveien 14, N-0394 Oslo, Norway. Tel: 47 22 136500 Fax: 47 22 136505. E-mail: harinloedrup.carlsen@ulleval.no Executive Committee President: G.J. Gibson, Newcastle-upon-Tyne Past-President: M. Zelter, Paris Secretary General: C.F. Donner, Veruno President-elect: W. McNicholas, Dublin Treasurer: L.P. Nicod, Geneva Newsletter Editor: R. Dahl, Aarhus Programme Committee Chairman: W. MacNee, Edinburgh Members-at-Large: R. Dahl, Aarhus C. Gratziou, Athens, A. Chuchalin, Moscow A. Agusti, Majorca Monographs may be purchased from the Subscriptions Department, Maney Publishing, Hudson Road, Leeds, LS9 7DL, UK. Tel: 44 1132497481 Fax: 44 1132486983 E-mail: subscriptions@maney.co.uk Credit card Payments through Access, Mastercard, Visa, Amex welcome All material is copyright to the European Respiratory Society Journals Ltd. It may not be reproduced in any way including electronic means without the express permission of the company. Business matters (enquiries, advertisement bookings) should be addressed to European Respiratory Society Journals Ltd, Publications Office, Suite 2.4, Hutton's Building, 146 West Street, Sheffield, S1 4ES, UK. Fax: 44 1142 780501 Published by European Respiratory Society Journals Ltd ©2003 ERS Monograph Edit Board.qxd 18/11/2003 10:36 Page 1