We investigated familial aggregation of bronchodilator response (BDR) among 4,946 subjects selected from 1,161 index families with asthma in a rural community in China. Each family unit consisted of both parents and their first and subsequent offspring, aged 8-20. Raw BDR measurements, defined as the percentage change in FEV(1) after 180 microg of albuterol, were adjusted to account for sex, age, height, weight, education, smoking, asthma, wheeze, and allergy status. Using these adjusted BDR values, we found significant correlation for father-first offspring pairs, mother-first offspring pairs, mother-subsequent offspring pairs, and first offspring-subsequent offspring pairs. The overall magnitude of the correlation coefficient (0.088-0.165) suggests a modest degree of familial clustering. The largest odds ratio was seen for subsequent offspring who had mothers and first offspring with adjusted BDR values above the median: 3.10 (95% CI: 1.85-5.20) in these index families with asthma. Thus, our data support a significant familial aggregation of BDR in this Chinese population, which points to a role of genetic factors in BDR.