title: High risk association of IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RN) VNTR polymorphism with asthma in a North Indian population: a pilot study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A pilot case-control study was conducted to evaluate the role of IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RN) VNTR penta-allelic polymorphism in asthma that has been associated with various inflammatory diseases worldwide. This is the first case-control study conducted in India, investigating the role of IL-1RN VNTR polymorphism in asthma pathogenesis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A case-control study was performed with a total of 824 adult subjects, inducting 410 asthma patients and 414 healthy controls from North India. The genotypes were identified by polymerase chain reaction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Statistical analysis for the IL-1RN VNTR polymorphism revealed that the IL-1RN(*)2 allele was significantly associated with asthma with OR=1.45, 95% CI (1.15-1.85) and p=0.001. The IL-1RN(*)2/2 genotype posed a risk towards asthma with OR=1.66, 95% CI (0.97-2.86) and p=0.048. Most of the phenotypic traits were significantly associated with the disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IL-1RN(*)2 allele is a high risk factor for asthma in the studied North Indian population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India. nitibirbian@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Niti
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Birbian
authors.forename: Jagtar
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Surinder Kumar
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Jindal
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000235:genetics*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency / Q000235:genetics; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D053590:Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist Protein / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D018598:Minisatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics*; D010641:Phenotype; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: C507763:IL1RN protein, human; D053590:Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist Protein