Can Any Of My Genes Signal That I Might Get Asthma?

Dr. Wayne Morgan answers the question: 'Is There A Gene That Causes Asthma?'

ByABC News
May 15, 2008, 2:06 PM

— -- Question:Can any of my genes signal that I might get asthma?

Answer: There are no genetic tests that we would use clinically to predict asthma risk in a given individual, and part of that is because there is no single asthma gene as there are in other conditions like sickle cell or cystic fibrosis.

The other reason is that asthma is multifactorial -- that means the environment has an impact on asthma risk. Also that there are many genes that lead to asthma, probably very similar to intelligence -- there's no single gene for that, there's likely no single gene for asthma.

Next: Is There A Genetic Test For Asthma?

Previous: How Does Low Birth Weight Affect My Risk Of Developing Asthma?