New study digs into asthma genes in african ancestry groups

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

* INCLUSION CRITERIA: Individuals age 18 to 99 of self-identified African, African American, or African Caribbean ancestry who either have no history of asthma or wheeze (controls) or have a physician s diagnosis of asthma. This study focuses exclusively on African ancestry individuals in order to address a lack in the field of asthma research focusing on those of African ancestry despite the greater disease burden experienced by these individuals. Enrollment for the CAAPA2 study at the NIH CC will include only adults, while children will be enrolled at other CAAPA2 sites, consistent with expertise at those sites. EXCLUSION CRITERIA: * First degree relative of enrolled study participant (as determined through responses to a screening questionnaire to question on participation of parents, siblings, or half-siblings) * Current and active smoker * History of: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic obstructive airway disease, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, lung transplant, kyphoscoliosis, sarcoidosis, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn s disease, psoriasis, carcinoma of the lung, ciliary dyskinesia, lupus, or active tuberculosis * Having any medical illnesses that would increase the risk that the participant would incur by participating in the study, interfere with the outcomes of the study, or interfere with the study procedures (evaluated using Spirometry Screener.) * Current or previous COVID-19 infection * Pregnant women: while study procedures are all minimal risk, the inclusion of pregnant women is not necessary to address the research questions. Additionally, pregnancy may affect some of our parameters of interest (particularly gene expression) in unpredictable ways and the size of the growing fetus may introduce mechanical challenges to optimal performance of pulmonary function tests at later stages of pregnancy. Exclusion will be based on self-report during screening.