PMID- 11093275
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20001207
LR  - 20061115
IS  - 1018-4813 (Print)
IS  - 1018-4813 (Linking)
VI  - 8
IP  - 11
DP  - 2000 Nov
TI  - Familial aggregation and heritability of asthma-associated quantitative traits in 
      a population-based sample of nuclear families.
PG  - 853-60
AB  - Asthma is a common, genetically complex human disease. Elevated serum 
      immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels, elevated blood eosinophil counts, variably reduced 
      spirometric measures and increased airway responsiveness (AR) are physiological 
      traits which are characteristic of asthma. We investigated the genetic and 
      environmental components of variance of serum total and specific IgE levels, 
      blood eosinophil counts, the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and 
      forced vital capacity (FVC), and AR in an Australian population-based sample of 
      232 Caucasian nuclear families. With the exception of FVC levels, all traits were 
      closely associated with clinical asthma in this population. Loge total serum IgE 
      levels had a narrow-sense heritability (h2N) of 47.3% (SE = 10. 0%). Specific 
      serum IgE levels against house dust mite and Timothy grass, measured as a RAST 
      Index, had a h2N of 33.8% (SE = 7.3%). FEV1 levels had a h2N of 6.1% (SE = 
      11.6%), whilst FVC levels had a h2N of 30.6% (SE = 26.8%). AR, quantified by the 
      loge dose-response slope to methacholine (DRS), had a h2N of 30.3% (SE = 12.3%). 
      These data are consistent with the existence of important genetic determinants of 
      the pathophysiological traits associated with asthma. Our study suggests that 
      total and specific serum IgE levels, blood eosinophil counts and airways 
      responsiveness to inhaled agonist are appropriate phenotypes for molecular 
      investigations of the genetic susceptibility to asthma.
FAU - Palmer, L J
AU  - Palmer LJ
AD  - Genetic Epidemiology Unit, Division of Population Sciences, TVW Telethon 
      Institute for Child Health Research, Perth, Australia. reljp@channing.harvard.edu
FAU - Burton, P R
AU  - Burton PR
FAU - James, A L
AU  - James AL
FAU - Musk, A W
AU  - Musk AW
FAU - Cookson, W O
AU  - Cookson WO
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PL  - England
TA  - Eur J Hum Genet
JT  - European journal of human genetics : EJHG
JID - 9302235
RN  - 37341-29-0 (Immunoglobulin E)
SB  - IM
MH  - Adolescent
MH  - Adult
MH  - Age Factors
MH  - Asthma/blood/*genetics/physiopathology
MH  - Australia
MH  - Body Height
MH  - Cohort Studies
MH  - Data Interpretation, Statistical
MH  - Eosinophils/cytology
MH  - Family Health
MH  - Female
MH  - Forced Expiratory Volume
MH  - Humans
MH  - Immunoglobulin E/blood
MH  - Leukocyte Count
MH  - Lung/physiopathology
MH  - Male
MH  - Middle Aged
MH  - Nuclear Family
MH  - *Quantitative Trait, Heritable
MH  - Sex Factors
MH  - Smoking
EDAT- 2000/11/28 11:00
MHDA- 2001/02/28 10:01
CRDT- 2000/11/28 11:00
PHST- 2000/11/28 11:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2001/02/28 10:01 [medline]
PHST- 2000/11/28 11:00 [entrez]
AID - 10.1038/sj.ejhg.5200551 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Eur J Hum Genet. 2000 Nov;8(11):853-60. doi: 10.1038/sj.ejhg.5200551.