TY - JOUR T1 - 17q21 variants modify the association between early respiratory infections and asthma JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J SP - 57 LP - 64 DO - 10.1183/09031936.00154509 VL - 36 IS - 1 AU - L.A.M. Smit AU - E. Bouzigon AU - I. Pin AU - V. Siroux AU - F. Monier AU - H. Aschard AU - J. Bousquet AU - F. Gormand AU - J. Just AU - N. Le Moual AU - R. Nadif AU - P. Scheinmann AU - D. Vervloet AU - M. Lathrop AU - F. Demenais AU - F. Kauffmann Y1 - 2010/07/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/36/1/57.abstract N2 - Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at chromosome 17q21 confer an increased risk of early-onset asthma. The objective was to study whether 17q21 SNPs modify associations between early respiratory infections and asthma. Association analysis was conducted in 499 children (268 with asthma, median age 11 yrs) from the Epidemiological Study on the Genetics and Environment of Asthma (EGEA). The 12-yr follow-up data were used to assess persistent or remittent asthma in young adulthood. Respiratory infection before 2 yrs of age was assessed retrospectively. For the 12 17q21 SNPs studied, the odds ratios (OR) for association between infection and early-onset asthma (age at onset ≤4 yrs) were higher in carriers of risk genotypes (OR 3.42–6.36) than in noncarriers (OR 1.84–2.44; p-value for interaction 0.02–0.04 for five SNPs). Risk genotypes also increased the association between infection and childhood asthma that remits in adulthood (OR 4.84–7.16 in carriers and 1.74–2.25 in noncarriers; p-value for interaction 0.008–0.05 for 10 SNPs). In children with 17q21 risk genotypes and early-life environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure, associations between infection and asthma were further enhanced. 17q21 genetic variants and early ETS exposure enhance the association between early respiratory infections and early-onset asthma and childhood asthma that remits in adulthood. ER -