[STUDY OF CHEMOKINE RECEPTOR CCR2 GENE POLYMORPHISM IN PATIENTS WITH ASTHMA AND THEIR RELATIVES]

The goal of this investigation was to study the frequency of genotypes and alleles of CCR2 gene polymorphism V64I in patients with asthma and their relatives. The families of 70 probands diagnosed as having asthma and their 165 first-, second-, and third-degree relatives (a study group) were examined. The mean age of the probands was 45.65 ± 16.34 years; that of the relatives was 49.15 ± 15.23 years. The control group included 464 healthy individuals (mean age 32.7 ± 7.36). No statistically significant differences were found in the distribution of genotypes and alleles of the CCR2 gene between the probands, asthmatic patients, and controls. There were statistically significant differences in the distribution of allele frequencies between the groups of relatives with allergy and healthy relatives. The proportion of 641 allele carriers was significantly higher in the group of relatives with allergy than that of healthy relatives (p = 0.01). The odds ratio of identifying a 64I allele carrier in the group of relatives with allergy was 2.6 times higher than that in healthy relatives (95% CI, 1.3-5.4). It can be inferred that 64I allele carriage is a predisposing factor for allergy. The findings of CCR2 gene polymorphism are important to form a risk group, by taking into account the genotype of individuals by the CCR2 gene.