Association of interleukin-4 receptor gene polymorphisms with rheumatoid arthritis in Egyptian female patients

Objectives: The imbalance between proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines is a feature of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The role of interleukin-4 (IL-4) and its receptor in the pathogenesis of RA is conflicting. We aim to investigate the role of polymorphisms in the IL-4R alpha gene in susceptibility and severity of RA. Methods: One hundred and seventy-two RA patients and 172 controls were enrolled in the study. Genotyping of IL-4R alpha I50V (rs1805010) and IL-4R alpha Q576R (rs1801275) was determined by restriction fragment length polymorphism-polymerase chain reaction (PCR-RFLP). Results: IL-4R alpha I50V genotype was significantly more frequent in patients with RA than in controls (OR: 1.97, 95\% CI: 1-3.7, P: 0.035). Subjects with IL-4R alpha V50V genotype were significantly more likely to have erosive arthropathy (OR: 2.6, 95\% CI: 1.1-6.1, P: 0.02). The frequencies of IL-4R alpha Q576R genotype were significantly decreased in patients with erosive RA compared to patients with nonerosive RA (31.6\% versus 48.2\%, OR: 2.7, 95\% CI: 1-7.7, P: 0.04). Conclusion: IL-4R alpha polymorphisms were associated with susceptibility to RA and may be helpful in early detection of erosive RA. (C) 2011 Societe francaise de rhumatologie. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.