Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the Fc gammaRIIa polymorphism in Turkish children with atopic asthma and allergic rhinitis.
Design and methods: In this study, 372 atopic children (192 asthma bronchial, 180 allergic rhinitis) between ages of 5 and 16 years old (11.3+/-2.9) who were followed at Aegean University Paediatric Allergy and Pulmonology Outpatient Clinics and 234 healthy subjects as the control group were included. The evaluation of subjects included routine biochemical blood analysis and allergic workup based on the following laboratory determinants. The Fc gammaRIIa polymorphism was determined using the polymerase chain reaction method.
Results: Distribution of R131R genotype was significantly different among patient groups compared to controls (for asthmatic children OR: 2.64 95%CI: 1.22-5.79, p=0.006; for allergic rhinitis OR: 2.58 95%CI: 1.18-5.71, p=0.009). Frequency of 131R allele was significantly different among patient groups compared to controls (for asthmatic children OR: 1.66 95%CI: 1.22-2.26, p=0.0007; for allergic rhinitis OR: 1.93 95%CI: 1.42-2.63, p=0.00001).
Conclusion: This study shows that Fc gammaRIIa gene 131R allele represents an important genetic risk factor for bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis susceptibility.