title: TNF-alpha -308 G>A and -238 G>A polymorphisms are not major risk factors in Caucasian patients with exfoliation glaucoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  TNF-alpha has been suggested to participate in the pathogenesis of exfoliation glaucoma (XFG). The purpose of the present study was to investigate a hypothesized association between two common functional polymorphisms in the promoter region of the TNF-alpha gene (TNF-alpha -308 G>A, rs1800629, and TNF-alpha -238 G>A, rs361525) and the presence of XFG in a Caucasian population.
  
  
  METHODS
  The present case-control study comprised 408 participants (204 patients with XFG and 204 control subjects). Control subjects were matched for age and sex. Genotypes of the TNF-alpha -308 G>A and TNF-alpha -238 G>A polymorphisms were determined by polymerase chain reaction (restriction fragment length polymorphism).
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant differences regarding genotype distribution or allelic frequencies were found between patients and control subjects (p>0.025). The presence of the TNF-alpha -308 G-allele was associated with an insignificant odds ratio of 0.98 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.66-1.46; p=0.99) while the presence of the TNF-alpha -238 G-allele was associated with an insignificant odds ratio of 0.64 (95% CI: 0.33-1.23; p=0.25).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest that both the TNF-alpha -308 G>A and the TNF-alpha -238 G>A polymorphisms are unlikely to be major risk factors for XFG in an European population of Caucasian descent.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University Graz, Graz, Austria. g.mossboeck@medunigraz.at
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mossböck
authors.forename: Wilfried
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Renner
authors.forename: Yosuf
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: El-Shabrawi
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Faschinger
authors.forename: Otto
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Schmut
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wedrich
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zimmermann
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weger
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D017889:Exfoliation Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D012307:Risk Factors; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000235:genetics*; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha