Rajesh Kumar, M.D., Max A. Seibold, Ph.D., Melinda C. Aldrich, Ph.D., M.P.H., L. Keoki Williams, M.D., M.P.H., Alex P. Reiner, M.D., Laura Colangelo, M.S., Joshua Galanter, M.D., Christopher Gignoux, M.S., Donglei Hu, Ph.D., Saunak Sen, Ph.D., Shweta Choudhry, Ph.D., Edward L. Peterson, Ph.D., Jose Rodriguez-Santana, M.D., William Rodriguez-Cintron, M.D., Michael A. Nalls, Ph.D., Tennille S. Leak, Ph.D., Ellen O'Meara, Ph.D., Bernd Meibohm, Ph.D., Stephen B. Kritchevsky, Ph.D., Rongling Li, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., Tamara B. Harris, M.D., Deborah A. Nickerson, Ph.D., Myriam Fornage, Ph.D., Paul Enright, M.D., Elad Ziv, M.D., Lewis J. Smith, M.D., Kiang Liu, Ph.D., and Esteban González Burchard, M.D., M.P.H. Published at www.nejm.org July 7, 2010 (10.1056/NEJMoa0907897)
Background Self-identified race or ethnic group is used to determine normal reference standards in the prediction of pulmonary function. We conducted a study to determine whether the genetically determined percentage of African ancestry is associated with lung function and whether its use could improve predictions of lung function among persons who identified themselves as African American.
Results African ancestry was inversely related to forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity in the CARDIA cohort. These relations were also seen in the HABC and CHS cohorts. In predicting lung function, the ancestry-based model fit the data better than standard models. Ancestry-based models resulted in the reclassification of asthma severity (based on the percentage of the predicted FEV1) in 4 to 5% of participants.
Conclusions Current predictive equations, which rely on self-identified race alone, may misestimate lung function among subjects who identify themselves as African American. Incorporating ancestry into normative equations may improve lung-function estimates and more accurately categorize disease severity. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health and others.)
Weblink here (free full-text at the NEJM website)
