High frequency of IgE receptor FcεRIß variant (Leu181/Leu183) in Kuwaiti Arabs and its association with asthma

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Abstract
The presence of IgE receptor FcεRIβ polymorphism (181/183) was investigated in Kuwaiti asthmatic patients and controls using an allele refractory mutation screening (ARMS) test. The variant sequence (Leu181/Leu183) was detected in 72% (320/442) chromosomes analysed. Homozygous LL genotype was detected in 48% (46/96) asthmatic subjects compared to 31% (39/125) in non‐asthmatics. In 11/52 families mothers of the asthmatic children were themselves asthmatic and 3/11 asthmatic mothers had homozygous LL genotype. 80% of the homozygous LL asthmatics showed a positive skin prick test (SPT) compared with 28% of non‐asthmatics with the same genotype. In heterozygous NL asthmatics a positive SPT was found in 60% cases compared to 17% in non asthmatics with the same genotype. The incidence of hay fever (HF) and eczema (E) was also found to be higher in homozygous LL asthmatics compared with the non‐asthmatics with the same genotype. This study reports a high prevalence of IgE receptor FcεRIβ variants in Kuwaiti Arabs compared with British, Australian and Austrian populations studied before. The association of Leu181/Leu183 variant with asthma in Kuwaitis underlines its significance as a risk factor in manifesting the clinical phenotype in this population.