Interleukin-18 promoter polymorphisms and the disease progression of Hepatitis B virus-related liver disease.
In this study, we aimed to explore whether interleukin-18 (IL-18) gene-promoter polymorphisms are associated with the outcome of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. In all, 204 chronically HBV-infected patients were recruited in this study. Of the 204 HBV-infected patients, 43 were considered to be inactive HBV carriers based on the sustained normalization of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) together with seropositivity for the antibody to hepatitis B e-antigen (anti-HBe). A total of 161 patients were found to have chronic progressive liver disease, which included cirrhosis. In these HBV-infected patients, the frequencies of AA genotype of IL-18 gene-promoter polymorphisms at position -607 and C allele at position -137 were significantly higher in inactive HBV carriers compared with those in patients with chronic progressive liver disease. These polymorphisms of the IL-18 promoter regions (-607 and -137) could be associated with different outcomes of HBV infection.
Migita
Kiyoshi
K
Clinical Research Center, NHO Nagasaki Medical Center, Kubara 2-1001-1, Omura 856-8652, Japan. migita@nmc.hosp.go.jp
Sawakami-Kobayashi
Kazumi
K
Maeda
Yumi
Y
Nakao
Kazuhiko
K
Kondoh
Susumu
S
Sugiura
Mika
M
Kawasumi
Ryoko
R
Segawa
Osamu
O
Tajima
Hideji
H
Machida
Masayuki
M
Nakamura
Minoru
M
Yano
Koji
K
Abiru
Seigo
S
Kawasaki
Eiji
E
Yatsuhashi
Hiroshi
H
Eguchi
Katsumi
K
Ishibashi
Hiromi
H
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002353:Carrier State; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D020382:Interleukin-18 / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics
D020382:Interleukin-18