Predisposition to Hyperthyroidism May Be Influenced by Functional TNF-α, IL-1, IL-6, and IL-10 Polymorphisms: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Predisposition to hyperthyroidism may be influenced by functional gene polymorphisms in tumor necrosis factor-α (<i>TNF-α</i>), interleukin-1 (<i>IL-1</i>), interleukin-4 (<i>IL-4</i>), interleukin-6 (<i>IL-6</i>), and interleukin-10 (<i>IL-10</i>). However, the results of the studies published so far remain discrepant, so we conducted a meta-analysis to more robustly investigate relationships between <i>TNF-α</i>/<i>IL-1/IL-4/IL-6/IL-10</i> polymorphisms and predisposition to hyperthyroidism. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> A comprehensive literature retrieval from PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, WanFang, VIP, and CNKI was endorsed by the authors, and 38 studies were found to be eligible for pooled meta-analyses. <b><i>Results:</i></b> We found that genotypic frequencies of <i>TNF-α</i> −308 G/A, <i>IL-1A</i> −889 C/T, <i>IL-6</i> −174 G/C, <i>IL-6</i> −572 G/C, <i>IL-10</i> −819 C/T, and <i>IL-10</i> −1082 A/G polymorphisms among cases were significantly different from those among controls. Moreover, we also found that genotypic frequencies of <i>TNF-α</i> −308 G/A and <i>IL-6</i> −174 G/C polymorphisms among cases of Caucasian origin were significantly different from those among Caucasian controls, and genotypic frequencies of <i>IL-1A</i> −889 C/T, <i>IL-1B</i> −511 C/T, <i>IL-6</i> −174 G/C, <i>IL-6</i> −572 G/C, and <i>IL-10</i> −1,082 A/G polymorphisms among cases of Asian origin were also significantly different from those among Asian controls. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> This meta-analysis suggests that <i>TNF-α</i> −308 G/A, <i>IL-1A</i> −889 C/T, <i>IL-1B</i> −511 C/T, <i>IL-6</i> −174 G/C, <i>IL-6</i> −572 G/C, <i>IL-10</i> −819 C/T, and <i>IL-10</i> −1,082 A/G polymorphisms may influence predisposition to hyperthyroidism in certain ethnic groups.