To determine whether interleukin 1 alpha (IL-1alpha) polymorphisms are associated with UK oligoarticular juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA).
A well-characterized population of 164 UK Caucasian oligo-JCA patients and a control panel of 173 unrelated healthy UK Caucasian individuals.
The IL-1alpha promoter mutation at -889 was examined using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) assay. The cases and controls were also genotyped for an IL-1alpha intronic microsatellite repeat.
No association was observed between IL-1alpha polymorphisms and UK oligoarticular JCA patients. In particular, no association between IL-1alpha polymorphisms and chronic anterior uveitis was found.
IL-1alpha is not associated with oligoarticular JCA in UK patients. This differs markedly to findings for IL-1alpha in Norwegian JCA patients.