Genetic risks and childhood-onset asthma

Recent large-scale genome-wide association studies have successfully identified several genetic loci that influence asthma susceptibility. The loci thus far identified confer a high population attributable risk for childhood-onset disease and have provided a better understanding of the primary mechanisms underlying asthma and a clear focus for new therapies to treat the disease. The loci are of limited utility for diagnostic or predictive genetic testing. This review considers different aspects of genetic risk, including individual, population, and familial risks, and explores how these different measures interact and how the next generation of genetic studies might be best designed.