Genetic predisposition to wheeze following respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis.
BACKGROUND
The nature of the association between severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis and subsequent wheezing remains unknown. In a previous study, we showed that genetic variation in the IL-8-promoter region is associated with susceptibility to severe bronchiolitis.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to assess the association between wheezing post-bronchiolitis and the genetic variant of IL-8 gene.


METHODS
We collected data from 134 children who had suffered from bronchiolitis, enrolled in our previous study. The occurrence of wheezing post-bronchiolitis was recorded from a questionnaire sent by post. The association between the genotype and wheezing phenotype was assessed by family-based and case-control approaches.


RESULTS
Family-based association showed that the IL-8 variant was transmitted significantly more often than expected in the children who wheezed after the episode of bronchiolitis (transmission=56%, P=0.02). This effect was not observed in the group of children who had bronchiolitis but did not go on to wheeze. Moreover, the variant was significantly more frequent in post-bronchiolitis wheezers compared with the general population (odds ratio=1.6, 95% confidence interval 1.0-2.6).


CONCLUSIONS
These preliminary results suggest that there is a genetic predisposition to wheeze following severe RSV bronchiolitis.
Goetghebuer
T
T
University Department of Paediatrics, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK.
Isles
K
K
Moore
C
C
Thomson
A
A
Kwiatkowski
D
D
Hull
J
J
D000483:Alleles; D001990:Bronchiolitis, Viral / Q000235:genetics* / Q000821:virology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D012135:Respiratory Sounds; D018357:Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections / Q000150:complications*; D018113:Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human
D016209:Interleukin-8