Erschienen in:
01.04.2010 | Original Article
Association of Interleukin-18 Gene Polymorphisms with Hepatitis B Virus Clearance
verfasst von:
Jae Youn Cheong, Sung Won Cho, Bermseok Oh, Kuchan Kimm, Kee Myung Lee, Sung Jae Shin, Jung A. Lee, Byung Lae Park, Hyun Sub Cheong, Hyoung Doo Shin, Bo Young Cho, Jin Hong Kim
Erschienen in:
Digestive Diseases and Sciences
|
Ausgabe 4/2010
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Abstract
The outcome of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection can be affected by host immune factors. Interleukin-18 (IL-18) was originally discovered as an interferon-γ-inducing factor and plays a critical role in immune response. We assessed the association between the clearance of HBV infection and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the IL-18 gene. Between March 2002 and December 2004, a total of 1,050 Korean subjects were enrolled in the study and divided into two groups: (1) the HBV spontaneous recovery group (n = 320) and (2) the chronic HBV carrier group (n = 730). We analyzed SNPs at four polymorphic sites in the IL-18 gene at positions −667G>T, −148G>C, +8925C>G, and +13925A>C. We observed that the subjects bearing the IL-18 −148C allele [odds ratio (OR), 0.25; confidence interval (CI), 0.09–0.68; P = 0.01], the +8925G allele (OR, 0.36; CI, 0.15–0.88; P = 0.02), and the +13925C allele (OR, 0.25; CI, 0.13–0.82; P = 0.01) were significantly associated with HBV clearance in a recessive model. This study indicates that the −148C, +8925G, and +13925C alleles of the IL-18 gene are likely associated with HBV clearance in a Korean population.