title: High frequency of IgE receptor Fc epsilonRIbeta variant (Leu181/Leu183) in Kuwaiti Arabs and its association with asthma.
abstract: The presence of IgE receptor Fc epsilonRIbeta polymorphism (181/183) was investigated in Kuwaiti asthmatic patients and controls using an allele refractory mutation screening (ARMS) test. The variant sequence (Leu181/Leu183) was detected in 72% (320/442) chromosomes analysed. Homozygous LL genotype was detected in 48% (46/96) asthmatic subjects compared to 31% (39/125) in non-asthmatics. In 11/52 families mothers of the asthmatic children were themselves asthmatic and 3/11 asthmatic mothers had homozygous LL genotype. 80% of the homozygous LL asthmatics showed a positive skin prick test (SPT) compared with 28% of non-asthmatics with the same genotype. In heterozygous NL asthmatics a positive SPT was found in 60% cases compared to 17% in non asthmatics with the same genotype. The incidence of hay fever (HF) and eczema (E) was also found to be higher in homozygous LL asthmatics compared with the non-asthmatics with the same genotype. This study reports a high prevalence of IgE receptor Fc epsilonRIbeta variants in Kuwaiti Arabs compared with British, Australian and Austrian populations studied before. The association of Leu181/Leu183 variant with asthma in Kuwaitis underlines its significance as a risk factor in manifesting the clinical phenotype in this population.
authors.affiliation: Paediatrics Department, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Safat.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hijazi
authors.forename: M Z
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Haider
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Al-Dowaisan
mesh_terms: D018912:Arabs / Q000235:genetics*; D001249:Asthma / Q000235:genetics*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D007730:Kuwait; D007930:Leucine / Q000235:genetics*; D017455:Receptors, IgE / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D017455:Receptors, IgE; D007930:Leucine