Correlation Between IL-3 And IL-13 Gene Polymorphisms And The Susceptibility Of Rheumatoid Arthritis In A Chinese Han Population Of Jiangsu Province

Background:Rheumatoid arthritis(RA)is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease that primarily affects the joints of the hands and feet.The pathogenesis of RA is still quite unclear;however,is believed to be multifactorial,involving both genetic and environmental factors.Genetic studies have indicated that genetic components are significantly associated with the susceptibility to RA.The genes coding for several cytokines such as interleukin-10(IL-10)and IL-6 are believed to be associated with RA.Previous studies found that polymorphisms in the IL-3 and IL-13 genes were associated with Graves’ disease(GD)susceptibility.Autoimmune diseases such as GD and RA have been shown to possess some common genetic linkages with similar pathophysiology.Therefore,we hypothesized that IL-3 and IL-13 gene polymorphisms may also play important roles in the pathogenesis of RA.Objective:The aim of this study was to examine the association between IL-3 rs2073506 G/A,IL-3 rs40401 C/T,and IL-13 rsl800925 C/T gene polymorphisms and RA.Methods:In this hospital-based case-control study,we analyzed the IL-3 rs2073506 G/A,IL-3 rs40401 C/T,and IL-13 rsl800925 C/T polymorphisms in 615 RA patients and 839 controls from in a Chinese Han population of Jiangsu province.Genotyping was performed using a custom-by-design 48-Plex single nucleotide polymorphism scanTM kit.Results:Our results indicated that IL-3 rs2073506 G/A,IL-3 rs40401 C/T,and IL-13 rsl800925 C/T gene polymorphisms were not associated with the risk of RA.However,stratification analyses suggested that the IL-13 rsl800925 CT genotype increased the risk of RA in patients with erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR)<25.00 mm/h.Conclusions:To sum up,these findings suggest that the IL-13 rsl800925 C/T polymorphism may be associated with an increased risk of RA in ESR<25.00 mm/h patients.Future studies with larger sample sizes and inclusion of other ethnic populations should be conducted to confirm the findings of this study.