[Genetic and environmental factors of asthma and allergy: Results of the EGEA study].

INTRODUCTION AND METHODS

The EGEA study (epidemiological study on the genetics and environment of asthma, bronchial hyperresponsiveness and atopy), which combines a case-control and a family-based study of asthma case (n=2120 subjects) with three surveys over 20 years, aims to identify environmental and genetic factors associated with asthma and asthma-related phenotypes. We summarize the results of the phenotypic characterization and the investigation of environmental and genetic factors of asthma and asthma-related phenotypes obtained since 2007 in the EGEA study (42 articles).

RESULTS

Both epidemiological and genetic results confirm the heterogeneity of asthma. These results strengthen the role of the age of disease onset, the allergic status and the level of disease activity in the identification of the different phenotypes of asthma. The deleterious role of active smoking, exposure to air pollution, occupational asthmogenic agents and cleaning products on the prevalence and/or activity of asthma has been confirmed. Accounting for gene-environment interactions allowed the identification of new genetic factors underlying asthma and asthma-related traits and better understanding of their mode of action.

CONCLUSION

The EGEA study is contributing to the advances in respiratory research at the international level. The new phenotypic, environmental and biological data available in EGEA study will help characterizing the long-term evolution of asthma and the factors associated to this evolution.