title: Lack of association between IL6 single nucleotide polymorphisms and cardiovascular disease in Spanish patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a complex polygenic inflammatory disease associated with accelerated atherosclerosis. IL-6 is a key mediator of inflammation in RA. A recent study showed an association between IL6-174 G/C gene polymorphism and cardiovascular (CV) disease in UK individuals with RA. To confirm this association we assessed the influence of three IL6 gene polymorphisms in the risk of CV disease in a large series of patients with RA.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 1250 Spanish patients with RA. Besides genotyping the traditional single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) promoter -174G/C (rs1800795), we assessed another two SNPs (rs2069827 and rs2069840) located in the IL6 gene that were selected by SNP-tagging.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two-hundred and twenty (17.6%) of the 1250 patients experienced CV events. No significant differences in the genotype, allele and haplotype frequencies between RA patients with and without CV events were observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results do not confirm in a Spanish population the association of IL6 gene with CV disease in RA previously reported in the UK.
authors: Department of Rheumatology, Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, IFIMAV, 39008 Santander, Spain. rlopezmejias78@gmail.com
authors: Raquel
authors: R
authors: López-Mejías
authors: Mercedes
authors: M
authors: García-Bermúdez
authors: Carlos
authors: C
authors: González-Juanatey
authors: Santos
authors: S
authors: Castañeda
authors: Silvia
authors: S
authors: Pérez-Esteban
authors: José A
authors: JA
authors: Miranda-Filloy
authors: Carmen
authors: C
authors: Gómez-Vaquero
authors: Benjamín
authors: B
authors: Fernández-Gutiérrez
authors: Alejandro
authors: A
authors: Balsa
authors: Dora
authors: D
authors: Pascual-Salcedo
authors: Ricardo
authors: R
authors: Blanco
authors: Isidoro
authors: I
authors: González-Álvaro
authors: Javier
authors: J
authors: Llorca
authors: Javier
authors: J
authors: Martín
authors: Miguel A
authors: MA
authors: González-Gay
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000235:genetics*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010641:Phenotype; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: C508600:IL6 protein, human; D015850:Interleukin-6