Detection of genes involved in asthma in children

A gene that greatly increases the risk of asthma in children has just been discovered in a large study by scientists in 5 countries. This finding may lead to a new therapy for asthma prevention.

A mutation of the ORMDL3 mutation increases the risk of asthma in children by 60-70% (Photo: Cshcn.org)

In a large-scale study, 24 experts from England, France, Germany, the United States and Austria discovered ORMDL3 gene, located in chromosome 17, potentially increasing the risk of asthma in children. The team examined and collated DNA of 994 children with asthma with DNA of 1,243 children without the disease.

The results showed that children with specific mutations of ORMDL3 were at risk of developing asthma by 60-70% compared to healthy children. This type of mutation is called ' single nucleotide polymorphism ' (single-nucleotide polymorphisms).

Scientists found that for every 600 nucleotides, there was a gene mutation, and they looked at more than 317,000 such mutations to find a specific mutation for asthma. At the same time, they also identified genetic markers in chromosome 17 that made ORMDL3 levels in the blood of children with asthma higher in children without it.

Dr Miriam Moffatt, of the National Lung Research Institute at the Royal College of London, said: 'We are confident that we have made a new and exciting discovery about child asthma'. .

Moffatt said: 'We and our colleagues are preparing to conduct further studies to find other genes that have less effect, and determine the relationship between research results and lip factors. school Our ultimate goal is to help prevent diseases occurring in at-risk populations. '

Moffatt's colleague, Professor William Cookson, said that the study found the greatest genetic impact so far with asthma. He said: ' The discovery of ORMDL3 in this study can help develop a new therapy for preventing and treating future asthma '.

However, according to Mr. Cookson, it is still unclear whether ORMDL3 has increased the risk of asthma according to which mechanism.

A baby is using medication to cut an asthma attack.(Photo: Telegraph)

According to the team, the cause of asthma is complex, which is a combination of two genetic factors and the environment. However, today's medicine still knows very little about this combination.

Dr. Victoria King, from the UK charity Asthma UK Institute, said: 'This is an exciting step in determining how genetic influences affect the risk of developing asthma - a chronic disease. The most popular among children today '.

He said: 'Through studies like this, we can identify both the risk factors and the protective factors related to human genetic structure, and from there, we have can build new therapies to fight asthma '.

The study was published on July 5, 2007 in the British scientific journal Nature.

Asthma: Increases steadily every year

Asthma is a disease of the respiratory system, in particular, the windpipe is suddenly narrowed by factors such as air pollution, cold air, cigarette smoke, stress, strong emotions, etc.

When you have asthma, the most obvious symptom is wheezing, next to other signs such as coughing, chest discomfort and difficulty breathing. An asthma attack can happen quickly, in just a few minutes, or it can happen slowly over several hours. Between asthma attacks, the patient feels normal.

Asthma - the cause of which is unknown - has become more common in the past few decades, and is currently the most common chronic disease in children. Asthma can be controlled by taking medication, but it cannot be cured.

According to data from the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), the world currently has about 300 million people with asthma, and every 10 years, the incidence increases by 20-50%. Every year, about 250,000 people die from this disease.

Currently in the UK, the rate of children with asthma is 1/7.In Vietnam - according to Hoi Hen, Vietnam Clinical Immune Allergy - there are about 4 million people infected, or about 5% of the population.

Quang Thinh

According to BBC, Science Daily, AFP, Wikipedia, VNN