Association between rs7517847 and rs2201841 polymorphisms in IL-23 receptor gene and risk of ankylosing spondylitis: a meta-analysis

To comprehensively evaluate the association between rs7517847 and rs2201841 polymorphisms in the Interleukin-23 (IL-23) receptor gene and ankylosing spondylitis (AS), a meta-analysis was performed. The Pubmed, Embase, MEDLINE, Cochrane, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP, Wanfang and China Biology Medicine disc (CBMdisc) databases were searched to identify eligible studies on rs7517847 and rs2201841 polymorphisms in the IL-23 receptor gene and AS that were published through September 2014. Data of interest were extracted from each study, and the meta-analysis was performed using STATA 12.0. Four studies were eligible for the meta-analysis and included a total patient population of 2,465. With regards to rs7517847, the current study showed that the genotype GG and allele G might play a protective role during AS (OR = 0.76, 95% CI [0.59-0.99]; OR = 0.88, 95% CI [0.78-0.99] for homozygote and allelic models, respectively). However, according to the meta-analysis, there was no statistical association between the genotype or allele of rs2201841 and an individual's susceptibility to AS in all genetic models. In conclusion, it was the IL-23 rs7517847 polymorphism rather than the rs2201841 polymorphism that had a statistical association with AS. Nevertheless, more evidence is needed to confirm this result. Consequently, it is necessary to carry out more high-quality studies to confirm the associations between these two single nucleotide polymorphisms and AS.