Increased VEGF levels in induced sputum, (Asai, 2003; Asai, 2002; Kanazawa, 2002) bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, (Feltis, 2006) and VEGF-positive cells in bronchial biopsies (Hoshino, 2001) have been found in patients with asthma compared to healthy controls. The gene discussed is VEGFA; the disease is asthma.