Gene by environment interactions and the development of asthma and allergy
Section snippets
Assessment of gene by environment interactions
In complex diseases, genes and environment contribute to the development of illness. The question remains, how these factors influence disease development and if or how genes and the environment interact. The term “interaction” has multiple meanings depending on the field of science it is used in. Interactions can be biological or statistical. In the case of a true, disease relevant interaction, both forms of interaction may be observed. Statistical interactions can be tested in population
Gene by environment interaction in childhood asthma and allergy
Allergy is an immunological state where ubiquitous harmless substances are recognised as allergens by the immune system leading to complex defence mechanisms of chronic inflammation. While asthma is the most common chronic disease in childhood in the western world, its true causes are still not known (ISACC Steering Committee, 1998). However, strong evidence exists that genetic predisposition and environmental factors both contribute to the development of these diseases (Bleecker et al., 1997,
Acknowledgements
This work was funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research as part of the German National Genome Research Network with grant GS 01 0429.
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