Asthma and allergy genetic testing by 23andMe

This is a brief summary of the currently available asthma and allergy genetic testing by the consumer genomics company 23andMe. It is partially funded by Google and started by the wife of Sergey Brin, the co-founder of Google. None of the results is conclusive in terms of diagnosis or clinical management at this time.

Asthma
https://www.23andme.com/health/Asthma

Each copy of T at rs7216389 increased a person’s chances of having childhood asthma. Each copy of a C at rs13153971 increased an individual's odds of asthma by about 1.58 times. Subjects with at least one G at rs4950928 had 0.54 times the odds of asthma compared to those with a C at both copies of the SNP. However, this effect was not seen in all groups the authors examined.

Allergic rhinitis (hay fever)
https://www.23andme.com/health/hay-fever

Each copy of a C at rs7775228 in the HLA region was associated with about 1.3 times higher odds of being allergic to grass pollen. Individuals with the TT genotype at rs2155219 had about 1.2 times higher odds of being allergic to grass pollen compared to individuals with the GT genotype, and those with the GG genotype had about 1.2 times lower odds of being allergic to grass pollen.

Atopic Dermatitis

https://www.23andme.com/health/atopic-dermatitis

There is a preliminary research report on 5 markers.

Again, none of the results is conclusive in terms of diagnosis or clinical management at this time.

Related reading:

SNPwatch: New Genetic Insight into the Causes of Eczema
SNPwatch: Breathe Easier…New Insights From Asthma Research
SNPwatch: Genetic Variant Associated with Food Allergy-related Disorder Eosinophilic Esophagitis
Asthma
FDA: 23andMe Genetic Testing Product is Misbranded http://buff.ly/1jBF7SQ
Image source: An older version of the company logo from year 2007.