One in 10 patients suffering from primary spontaneous pneumothoraces has a family history of the disorder. Such familial pneumothoraces can occur in isolation, but can also be the presentation of serious genetic disorders with life-threatening vascular or cancerous complications. As the pneumothorax frequently precedes the more dangerous complications by many years, it provides an opportunity to intervene in a focused manner, permitting the practice of precision medicine. In this review, we will discuss the clinical manifestations and underlying biology of the genetic causes of familial pneumothorax.
Keywords: pleural disease.
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