Asthma genetics factors

Genetic factors cannot explain the recent rapid rise in asthma prevalence. Asthma appears to require both genetic predisposition and environmental exposure. Many patients with occupational asthma develop the disease late in life upon exposure to specific allergens in the workplace. Environmental influences in utero or in infancy may contribute to the development of asthma. Maternal smoking during pregnancy or exposure to secondhand smoke after birth increases the risk of childhood asthma.3 Adult-onset asthma is not uncommon and may be related to atopy, nasal polyps, aspirin sensitivity, occupational exposure, or a recurrence of childhood asthma. 

Sarafino EP, Goldfedder J Genetic-factors in the presence, severity, and triggers of asthma. Arch Dis Child 1995 73 112-116. (Ill)... 

Laitinen T, Rasanen M, Kaprio J, et al Importance of genetic factors in adolescent asthma -A population-based twin-family study. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1998 157 1073-1078. (Ill)... 

The contribution of genetic factors to the development of IgE sensitisation and to the family history of an IgE-mediated disease is between 70-80%. The risk of developing asthma, rhinitis or eczema in general is related to a family history of the respective disease. 

McFadden ER Jr, Austen KF (1977) Asthma. In Thom GW, Adams RD, Braunwald E, Isselbacher KJ, Petersdorf RG (eds) Harrison s priciples of internal medicine, 8th edn. McGraw-Hill Kogakusha, Tokyo, pp 1349-1354 Meyer UA (1978) Role of genetic factors in the rational use of drugs. In Melmon KL, Morelli HF (eds) Clinical pharmacology. Basic principles in therapeutics, 2nd edn. Macmillan, New York, pp 913-929... 

Host factors. Genetic factors most probably influence both the atopic constitution and the specific airway disease at least. Twin studies have suggested the heritability of asthma to be 36-75% (Koppelman et al. 1999). An increasing number of studies have identified linkages between specific... 

Asthma results from a complex interaction of genetic and environmental factors however, the underlying cause is not well understood. There appears to be an inheritable component, as the presence of asthma in a parent is a strong risk factor for the development of asthma in a child. This risk increases when a family history of atopy is also present.13 Approximately 50% of asthma can be attributed to atopy, and atopic asthma is more common in children than adults.3 Furthermore, atopy in childhood asthma is the strongest prognostic factor for continued asthma as an adult.1,3... 

Ober C, Moffatt MF. Contributing factors to the pathobiology. The genetics of asthma. Clin Chest Med 2000 21 245-261. 

Inhaled corticosteroids mediate a variety of immunological actions and are commonly used in the treatment of allergic asthma [28]. However, not all patients respond well to this treatment and some are steroid-resistant. In a recent study, Tantisira et al. [29] described a new genetic non-synonymous variation in TBX21 that encodes for the transcription factor T-bet (T-box expressed in T cells) associated with significant improvement of the airway hyperresponsiveness in children affected by allergic asthma [30]. Noteworthy, the... 

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