African-specific alleles modify risk for asthma at the 17q12-q21 locus in African Americans

Asthma is the most common chronic disease in children, occurring at higher frequencies and with more severe disease in children with African ancestry. Previously unknown genetic variation at the 17q12-21 childhood-onset asthma locus contributes to asthma severity in individuals with African ancestries. We suggest that many other population-specific variants that have not been discovered in GWAS contribute to the genetic risk for asthma and other common diseases.