Title: Environmental tobacco smoke and interleukin 4 polymorphism (C-589T) gene: environment interaction increases risk of wheezing in African-American infants.

Authors: Smith, Andrew M; Bernstein, David I; LeMasters, Grace K; Huey, Nanette L; Ericksen, Mark; Villareal, Manuel; Lockey, James; Khurana Hershey, Gurjit K

Published In J Pediatr, (2008 May)

Abstract: To determine whether infants exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) having the interleukin 4 (IL-4) or interleukin 13 (IL-13) gene polymorphisms were at increased risk of wheezing.A birth cohort of 758 infants was evaluated annually by a questionnaire, physical examination, and skin prick testing. DNA samples from 560 children were genotyped for IL-4 C-589T and IL-13 C-1112T. The relationship of ETS exposure and genotype with the outcome of wheezing was analyzed.At the time of evaluation, mean age was 13.4 +/- 2.2 months. The prevalence of sensitization was 29%, and wheezing without a cold was 26.2%. The interaction of ETS exposure and the CT/TT genotypes for IL-4 C-589T showed a significant association with wheezing (odds ratio: 10.84; 95% confidence interval: 1.12-104.64, P = .04) in African-American infants.In African-American infants with a family history of atopy, the interaction of ETS and IL-4 C-589T demonstrated a 10-fold risk associated with wheezing without a cold.

PubMed ID: 18410779

MeSH Terms: African Americans*; Cohort Studies; Environmental Exposure/adverse effects*; Female; Genetic Predisposition to Disease/ethnology; Humans; Infant; Interleukin-13/genetics; Interleukin-4/genetics*; Male; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide/genetics*; Respiratory Sounds/etiology*; Socioeconomic Factors; Tobacco Smoke Pollution/adverse effects*