To assess the association between the tumour necrosis factor receptor 2 (TNFR2) 196 M/R single-nucleotide polymorphism and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) severity by taking advantage of the extremes of phenotype that exist in arthritis.
From the Leiden Early Arthritis Cohort (1700 patients), we selected patients who initially had the diagnosis of definite or probable RA according to the ACR criteria and developed complete remission (71 patients) or had the worst progression, to destructive disease (72 patients). A group of 135 healthy controls was included. The TNFR2 genotype was determined in these groups.
The extremes of phenotypes did not differ significantly in genotype distribution. No difference in genotype distribution between rheumatoid arthritis patients and healthy controls was observed.
Our study demonstrates that even by comparing the extremes of phenotypes no association between the TNFR2 genotype and disease severity can be detected in Caucasian patients with sporadic RA.