Associations between STAT3 rs744166 polymorphisms and susceptibility to ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease: a meta-analysis

Many studies have investigated the associations between the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) in the susceptibility to ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). However, the results remain inconsistent. This meta-analysis determined the risk of STAT3 rs744166 polymorphism-conferred UC and CD susceptibility. Electronic databases, including PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library, were searched for all eligible studies that evaluated the association between STAT3 rs744166 polymorphisms with UC and CD risk up to August 21, 2014. The pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated using fixed- or random-effects models. Twelve studies containing 10298 patients with CD, 4244 patients with UC and 11191 controls were included in this meta-analysis. The results indicated that the STAT3 rs744166 polymorphism was associated with CD and UC susceptibility (CD: GA+AA vs. GG, OR = 1.20, 95%CI, 1.11-1.30, I2 = 0%, Punadjusted