Human leukocyte antigen-G 14 bp insertion/deletion polymorphism contributes to preeclampsia risk in Asian population: A systematic review and meta‑analysis

Preeclampsia remains enigmatic and responsible for vast maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Our objective was to assess the strength of the effect of the 14 bp deletion/insertion polymorphism in exon 8 of the 3′UTR region of the human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G) gene on preeclampsia risk across different populations. A systematic review by a meta-analysis was performed to summarize the scattered epidemiologic evidence, which remains inconclusive and controversial. A systematic literature search according to the PRISMA guidelines was conducted to screen relevant publications. Odds ratio and corresponding 95% confidence interval were estimated to measure the magnitude of the association between this polymorphism and preeclampsia onset. Thirty studies comprising 9402 subjects were eligible. Pooled estimates suggested that both fetal and paternal insertion variants were significantly associated with increased odds of this disease. Nevertheless, the presence of the 14 bp insertion sequence in mothers does not seem to increase the risk of preeclampsia. Moreover, the results of subgroup analysis suggested that the fetal, maternal, and paternal polymorphism has a significant deleterious impact on the preeclampsia risk in the Asian population. In addition, the significant association between the paternal polymorphism and preeclampsia in primigravida was observed in the pooled estimation with a small sample size. By summarizing the amount of significant evidence, our study nominated this polymorphism as a potential biomarker for early risk stratification for Asians. Further large-scale validation is needed to establish fully solid and conclusive evidence for the impact of the insertion polymorphism on preeclampsia risk. •Maternal insertion is not significantly associated with preeclampsia risk.•Both fetal and paternal insertions significantly associate with the disease risk.•This polymorphism shows a significant deleterious impact on Asians.