title: The association between interleukin-6 polymorphisms and rheumatoid arthritis: a meta-analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to determine whether the functional interleukin-6 (IL-6) promoter -174 G/C and -572 G/C polymorphisms confer susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in ethnically different populations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Meta-analysis was conducted on the associations between these IL-6 polymorphisms and RA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of nine studies involving 3,851 subjects (RA 2,053 and controls 1,798) were considered in this study and ethnicity-specific meta-analysis was performed on European subjects. In all study subjects, meta-analysis revealed a trend toward to an association between RA and the IL-6 -174 G allele (odds ratio [OR] = 0.699, 95 % confidence interval [CI] = 0.463-1.054, p = 0.088). Stratification by ethnicity indicated a significant association between RA and the IL-6 -174 G/C polymorphism in Europeans using the dominant (OR = 0.329, 95 % CI = 0.155-0.699, p = 0.004) and recessive (OR = 0.823, 95 % CI = 0.679-0.997, p = 0.047) models. Meta-analysis of the IL-6 -572 G/C polymorphism showed no association between RA and the IL-6 -572 G allele in all study subjects (OR = 1.641, 95 % CI = 0.613-4.397, p = 0.324).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This meta-analysis shows that the IL-6 -174 G/C polymorphism may confer susceptibility to RA in Europeans.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University Anam Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, 126-1 Anam-dong 5-ga, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-705, Korea. lyhcgh@korea.ac.kr
authors.forename: Young Ho
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Sang-Cheol
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Bae
authors.forename: Sung Jae
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Jong Dae
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.forename: Gwan Gyu
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Song
mesh_terms: D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000235:genetics*; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000235:genetics; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000235:genetics*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6