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The Proceedings of the American Thoracic Society 6:283-287 (2009)
© 2009 The American Thoracic Society
doi: 10.1513/pats.200806-047RM
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Genetics of Asthma

Where Are We and Where Do We Go?

Dirkje S. Postma1 and Gerard H. Koppelman2

1 Department of Pulmonology, and 2 Department of Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

Correspondence and requests for reprints should be addressed to D. S. Postma, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Pulmonology, University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands. E-mail: d.s.postma{at}int.umcg.nl

ABSTRACT

Since the recognition that asthma is genetically determined, enormous progress has been made to understand which genes determine disease development in interaction with each other and/or with different environmental factors. This is the result of rapid developments in techniques for genotyping and statistical analyses. However, we are only at the beginning of understanding the complex nature of asthma. Follow-up of both clinical and environmental measures in a standardized way in numerous prospective cohorts is needed to establish which sets of genes and environmental factors determine the different phenotypes of asthma. This includes differences between sex, asthma severity, asthma remission, and asthma progression. Investigation of genetic profiling and gene expression profiling may further help to better understand the underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms, taking into account the insight in the biology currently present. Only by collaborative efforts of many groups of researchers that join forces in DNA analyses will it be possible to help to develop preventive strategies for asthma.

Key Words: asthma • genetics • gene–gene • environment • association






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