Association of interleukin-1 gene cluster polymorphisms with ischemic stroke in a Chinese population

Background and Aims: Chronic inflammatory process plays an important role in atherothrombosis. Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is one of the key modulators of the inflammatory response and its activity is critically regulated by its receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra). A variable number tandem repeat polymorphism in intron 2 of IL-1Ra gene and a C to T single base polymorphism in the promoter of IL-1β gene (C-511 →T) have been reported to affect the levels of IL-1 as well as its antagonist, IL-1Ra. It is also reported in several studies that these polymorphisms are associated with the susceptibility to cardio-cerebral vascular disease. However, data are limited in China. In this article, we studied the relationships between these polymorphisms and the risk of ischemic stroke in China. Materials and Methods: One hundred and twelve patients committed ischemic stroke were compared with 95 demographically matched healthy volunteers. Results: The frequencies of the IL-1Ra 1/1 genotype and IL-1Ra allele 1 (RaFNx011 allele) in stroke patients were significantly higher than those in healthy volunteers [93.7% vs. 82.1%, P =0.014; 0.964 vs. 0.905, P =0.007]. No significant differences were found in the IL-1β -511 genotype and the allele distribution between the two groups. Conclusions: Our results implicated that IL-1 gene polymorphism might be associated with the susceptibility to ischemic stroke.