Asthma is a complex disease, with various genetic and environmental factors implicated in its development. Sensitization to the house dust mite (HDM) is closely linked with the development of respiratory allergies, including asthma. However, some children sensitized to HDM do not complain of any symptoms of respiratory allergies, even though HDM is correlated with an increased risk for developing asthma, suggesting the involvement of other factors. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α is associated with the pathophysiologies of asthma in combination with its genetic polymorphism. The aim of the present study was to elucidate the associations between sensitization to HDM, polymorphism of TNF-α rs1800629, and asthma/bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR). Our results revealed that sensitization to HDM is associated with asthma diagnosis in lifetime, current asthma, and BHR in Korean children. Furthermore, the genetic polymorphism of TNF-a rs1800629 was found to modify and interact with these associations. This study suggests that prevention strategies for childhood asthma need to be targeted according to genetic susceptibility.
Keywords: Asthma; Children; House dust mite; Sensitization; TNF-α.
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