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The association between interleukin-6 polymorphisms and rheumatoid arthritis: a meta-analysis

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Abstract

Objective

The aim of this study was to determine whether the functional interleukin-6 (IL-6) promoter −174 G/C and −572 G/C polymorphisms confer susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in ethnically different populations.

Methods

Meta-analysis was conducted on the associations between these IL-6 polymorphisms and RA.

Results

A total of nine studies involving 3,851 subjects (RA 2,053 and controls 1,798) were considered in this study and ethnicity-specific meta-analysis was performed on European subjects. In all study subjects, meta-analysis revealed a trend toward to an association between RA and the IL-6 −174 G allele (odds ratio [OR] = 0.699, 95 % confidence interval [CI] = 0.463–1.054, p = 0.088). Stratification by ethnicity indicated a significant association between RA and the IL-6 −174 G/C polymorphism in Europeans using the dominant (OR = 0.329, 95 % CI = 0.155–0.699, p = 0.004) and recessive (OR = 0.823, 95 % CI = 0.679–0.997, p = 0.047) models. Meta-analysis of the IL-6 −572 G/C polymorphism showed no association between RA and the IL-6 −572 G allele in all study subjects (OR = 1.641, 95 % CI = 0.613–4.397, p = 0.324).

Conclusions

This meta-analysis shows that the IL-6 −174 G/C polymorphism may confer susceptibility to RA in Europeans.

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Acknowledgments

This study is supported by a grant from the Korea Healthcare Technology R&D Project, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea (A102065).

Conflict of interest

The authors have no financial and non-financial conflicts of interest to declare.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University Anam Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, 126-1, Anam-dong 5-ga, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 136-705, Korea

    Young Ho Lee, Sung Jae Choi, Jong Dae Ji & Gwan Gyu Song

  2. The Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, Hanyang University Medical Center, Seoul, Korea

    Sang-Cheol Bae

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  1. Young Ho Lee
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  2. Sang-Cheol Bae
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  3. Sung Jae Choi
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Correspondence to Young Ho Lee.

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Responsible Editor: Andras Falus.

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Lee, Y.H., Bae, SC., Choi, S.J. et al. The association between interleukin-6 polymorphisms and rheumatoid arthritis: a meta-analysis. Inflamm. Res. 61, 665–671 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00011-012-0459-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00011-012-0459-1

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