Identification of novel loci in asthma and methods of use thereof for the diagnosis and treatment of asthma

A method for identifying a human subject of European descent having a predisposition for asthma, comprising,

• a) identifying a risk allele indicative of a predisposition for asthma present in a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) containing nucleic acid isolated from biological sample obtained from said subject, selected from:
• an A allele at rs72721168 in SEQ ID NO:
• 1;
• a T allele at rs72721166 in SEQ ID NO:
• 2;
• an A allele at rs72721164 in SEQ ID NO:
• 3;
• a C allele at rs72721158 in SEQ ID NO:
• 4;
• a T allele at rs35632171 in SEQ ID NO:
• 14;
• an A allele at rs36080042 in SEQ ID NO:
• 15;
• and
• an A allele at rs75446656 in SEQ ID NO:
• 162 in the subject of European descent;
• and
• b) administering at least one agent useful to treat asthma to the subject, wherein said agent is selected from one or more of a PGE synthetic agonist, an oral steroid, an anti-IgE, a β1 agonist, a β2 agonist, a mast cell stabilizer, a leukotriene antagonist, Ipratropium bromide, and a phosphodiesterase inhibitor.