Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist gene polymorphism as a disease severity factor in systemic lupus erythematosus.
OBJECTIVE
We have previously described associations between an allele of the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist gene (IL1RN) and several inflammatory diseases. In this study we tested the IL1RN gene as a possible marker in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).


METHODS
Eighty-one SLE patients and 261 ethnically matched control subjects were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction.


RESULTS
We found an increase in both frequency and carriage rate of IL1RN*2 in the SLE group. This association strengthened with extensive disease and particularly with the presence of photosensitivity and discoid skin lesions.


CONCLUSIONS
We describe a novel association between IL1RN*2 and SLE. Carriage of the allele seems to influence severity rather than susceptibility to SLE. We postulate that the association of this polymorphism with disease severity is a widespread feature of common inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.
Blakemore
A I
AI
Section of Molecular Medicine, University of Sheffield, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, UK.
Tarlow
J K
JK
Cork
M J
MJ
Gordon
C
C
Emery
P
P
Duff
G W
GW
D001483:Base Sequence; D006801:Humans; D008179:Lupus Erythematosus, Discoid / Q000235:genetics; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015335:Molecular Probes / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010787:Photosensitivity Disorders / Q000235:genetics; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D017472:Receptors, Interleukin-1 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
D015335:Molecular Probes; D017472:Receptors, Interleukin-1