Polymorphisms in HLA-DRB1 Gene and the Risk of Tuberculosis: A Meta-analysis of 31 Studies

Purpose The HLA - DRB1 gene polymorphisms have been implicated in susceptibility to tuberculosis (TB). However, a large number of studies have reported inconclusive results. This study was conducted to investigate the relationship of HLA - DRB1 gene polymorphisms and TB risk by a meta-analysis. Methods A search was performed in Embase, PubMed, Wanfang Database, and China National Knowledge Internet (CNKI) up to Jul 30, 2014. Odds ratio (OR) and 95 % confidence interval (95 % CI) were used to assess the association. Statistical analyses were calculated by STATA 11.0 software. Results All 31 articles involving 3,416 cases and 4,515 controls were identified. The pooled results indicated a significant association between HLA - DRB1*04 (OR 1.22, 95 % CI 1.00–1.48, P = 0.048), *09 (OR 1.50, 95 % CI 1.08–2.08, P = 0.016), *10 (OR 1.23, 95 % CI 1.01–1.49, P = 0.035), *11 (OR 0.72, 95 % CI 0.53–0.99, P = 0.044), *15 (OR 1.40, 95 % CI 1.14–1.73, P = 0.001), and *16 (OR 1.33, 95 % CI 1.08–1.63, P = 0.007) gene polymorphisms and TB risk. In addition, the results also show no significant association between HLA - DRB1*01 ( P = 0.748), *03 ( P = 0.947), *07 ( P = 0.966), *08 ( P = 0.440), *12 ( P = 0.288), *13 ( P = 0.241), and *14 ( P = 0.551) gene polymorphisms and TB risk. Conclusions This study suggested that the HLA - DRB1*04 , *09 , *10 , *15 , and *16 gene polymorphisms may contribute to the risk of TB, especially in the East Asian. But the HLA - DRB1*11 gene polymorphism may be a protective factor for TB risk. Unfortunately, there is no significant association between the HLA - DRB1*01 , *03 , *07 , *08 , *12 , *13 , and *14 gene polymorphisms and TB risk.