To determine whether interleukin 1 (IL-1) polymorphisms confer susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
We conducted metaanalyses on associations between IL-1 polymorphisms and RA susceptibility, using fixed or random effects models.
A total of 18 separate comparisons were made using 10 European, 7 Asian, and 1 Latin American population samples. Metaanalysis of the IL-1B+3954 CC genotype revealed an association with RA in all subjects (odds ratio=0.776, 95% confidence interval=0.609-0.988, p=0.040). In Asians, an association between IL-1B+3954 and RA was identified. In contrast, no association was found between the IL-1B+3954 polymorphism and RA susceptibility in European populations. Metaanalyses of the IL-1B-511 and IL-1RN VNTR polymorphisms identified no association between these polymorphisms and RA.
Our metaanalysis shows that the IL-1B+3954 polymorphism was associated with the development of RA, but only in Asians.