Factor analysis in the Genetics of Asthma International Network family study identifies five major quantitative asthma phenotypes

Abstract

In children and adolescents with established asthma, five distinct sets of correlated patient characteristics appear to represent important aspects of the disease. Factor scores as quantitative traits may be better phenotypes in epidemiological and genetic analyses than those categories derived from the presence or absence of combinations of +ve SPTs and/or elevated IgE.