Child asthma genetic predisposition found

Los Angeles -- U.S. scientists say children who carry variations in specific genes that metabolize vehicle emissions are more susceptible to developing asthma.

University of Southern California researchers found children who carried variations in two genes (EPHX1 and GSTP1) and lived within 250 feet of a major road are up to nine times more likely to develop asthma than children who lived farther away.

"This is one of the first studies to report that children with certain genetic backgrounds are even more susceptible to asthma than if they lived near major roads and did not carry the variations," said Muhammad Salam, a University of Southern California graduate student and the study's lead author. "We are working to understand how traffic-related exposures may interact with these genes, leading to asthma development."

Asthma is the most common chronic disease in children and previous studies have shown that traffic-related pollution near the home increases asthma risk and reduces lung growth.

The new research is to be published in the journal Thorax and is available in the journal's online edition.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International.