title: Functional polymorphisms of the GSTT-1 gene do not predict the severity of acute pancreatitis in the United States.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Acute pancreatitis (AP) is an inflammatory response to pancreatic injury that is clinically classified as mild AP or severe AP, depending on specific criteria. Rahman and colleagues [Gastroenterology 2004;126:1312-1322] reported that genetic variation in the glutathione S-transferase theta-1 gene (GSTT-1) is associated with susceptibility and severity of AP in England. Our aim was to determine whether the same GSTT-1 polymorphism affects the severity of AP in a population from Pittsburgh, Pa., USA.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-one consecutive patients with AP (19 severe) were prospectively evaluated. The GSTT-1 haplotypes were determined by PCR amplification in all patients and 268 controls. The resulting genotypes were classified as functional (GSTT-1*A/*A or *A/null) and nonfunctional (GSTT-1 null/null) phenotypes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The relative frequencies of functional GSTT-1 phenotypes were similar in subjects with severe AP (15 of 19, 78.9%) and mild AP (61 of 72, 84.7%; p = 0.54) and in the controls (228 of 268, 85.1%; p = 0.66). Furthermore, the GSTT-1 functional and nonfunctional phenotypes were not associated with serum C-reactive protein levels (11.9 vs. 7.3 mg/dl; p = 0.19), interleukin-6 levels (74 vs. 60 pg/ml; p = 0.9), APACHE II scores (7 vs. 9; p = 0.26), or 48-hour Ranson scores (1 vs. 1; p = 0.63).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Functional GSTT-1 phenotypes do not correlate with susceptibility to AP or severity of AP in our patient population.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Yasser M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Bhat
authors.forename: Georgios I
authors.initials: GI
authors.lastname: Papachristou
authors.forename: James S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Janette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lamb
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Slivka
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Whitcomb
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D010414:Pennsylvania / Q000453:epidemiology; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: C413545:glutathione S-transferase T1; D005982:Glutathione Transferase