Association of glutamine 27 polymorphism of beta2 adrenoceptor childhood with reported asthma is age-dependent

The prevalence of asthma in children has doubled over the past 25 years.1 Two common polymorphisms exist in the β adrenoceptor at amino acids 16 (glycine for arginine) and 27 (glutamic acid for glutamine). Both are functionally relevant in cultured cells, with the glycine 16 form of the receptor showing enhanced downregulation and the glutamic acid 27 form showing attenuated downregulation after exposure to β agonists.2 The glutamine 27 polymorphism is associated with raised IgE concentrations in families with a history of asthma, and with increased reactivity of the airways in people with asthma.3,4 We measured the prevalence of these polymorphisms in a random population of children to identify their importance in the expression of reported asthma.