Genetic testing can indicate whether or not a child is likely to grow out of asthma, research has shown.
Results from a 40-year-long study have identified genetic changes which increase the chances of childhood asthma turning into a life-long condition by 36 per cent.
The findings suggest that genetic tests might prove a useful way to predict long-term asthma risk in the future.
But experts stress they are not yet advanced enough to be used in clinical practice.
Around half of all children with asthma will stop suffering symptoms by the time they reach adolescence or adulthood.
But at the moment there are no tests that can predict who may be expected to recover, and who may not.
Scientists have identified several single-letter changes to the genetic code that each carry a small increased risk of asthma.
The new study looked at 15 of these variants and used them to assign risk scores to individual children.
A total of 880 children were monitored for a period of 38 years.
Those with higher genetic risk scores developed asthma earlier than those with lower scores.
They also had a 36 per cent greater chance of developing persistent, life-long asthma.
High-scoring children were more likely to suffer from impaired lung function, to miss school or work, and to be hospitalised.
The research is reported today in the journal The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.
Lead scientist Dr Daniel Belsky, from Duke University Medical Centre in the US, said: 'Although our study revealed that genetic risks can help to predict which childhood-onset asthma cases remit and which become life-course persistent, genetic risk prediction for asthma is still in its infancy.
'As additional risk genes are discovered, the value of genetic assessments is likely to improve. But our predictions are not sufficiently sensitive or specific to support their use in routine clinical practice.
http://www.facebook.com/PlaneHealth https://twitter.com/PlaneHealth
Results from a 40-year-long study have identified genetic changes which increase the chances of childhood asthma turning into a life-long condition by 36 per cent.
The findings suggest that genetic tests might prove a useful way to predict long-term asthma risk in the future.
But experts stress they are not yet advanced enough to be used in clinical practice.
Around half of all children with asthma will stop suffering symptoms by the time they reach adolescence or adulthood.
But at the moment there are no tests that can predict who may be expected to recover, and who may not.
Scientists have identified several single-letter changes to the genetic code that each carry a small increased risk of asthma.
The new study looked at 15 of these variants and used them to assign risk scores to individual children.
A total of 880 children were monitored for a period of 38 years.
Those with higher genetic risk scores developed asthma earlier than those with lower scores.
They also had a 36 per cent greater chance of developing persistent, life-long asthma.
Scientists identified genetic changes that increase changes of childhood asthma becoming life-long condition by 36 per cent
The research is reported today in the journal The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.
Lead scientist Dr Daniel Belsky, from Duke University Medical Centre in the US, said: 'Although our study revealed that genetic risks can help to predict which childhood-onset asthma cases remit and which become life-course persistent, genetic risk prediction for asthma is still in its infancy.
'As additional risk genes are discovered, the value of genetic assessments is likely to improve. But our predictions are not sufficiently sensitive or specific to support their use in routine clinical practice.
http://www.facebook.com/PlaneHealth https://twitter.com/PlaneHealth
0 comments:
Post a Comment