Abstract
BackgroundThe IL-4, IL-4 receptor (IL4R), and IL-13 genes are crucial immune factors and may influence the course of various diseases. In the present study, we investigated the association between the potential functional polymorphisms in IL-4, IL-4R, and IL-13 and coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) risk in a Chinese population.MethodsSix polymorphisms (C-590T in IL-4, Ile50Val, Ser478Pro, and Gln551Arg in IL-4R, C-1055T and Arg130Gln in IL-13) were genotyped and analyzed in a case-control study of 556 CWP and 541 control subjects.ResultsOur results revealed that the IL-4 CT/CC genotypes were associated with a significantly decreased risk of CWP (odds ratio (OR) = 0.74, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.58–0.95), compared with the TT genotype, particularly among subgroups of age <65 years (OR = 0.68, 95%CI = 0.46–0.99) and dust exposure years ≥26 years (OR = 0.69, 95%CI = 0.50–0.94). Moreover, the polymorphism was significantly associated with risk of CWP patients with stage I. In addition, a combined effect was observed in a dose-dependent manner with increasing numbers of risk variant alleles (P trend = 0.023), and individuals with 11–12 risk alleles had a 47% higher risk of CWP than those with 0–8 risk alleles (OR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.05–2.05).ConclusionsOur results suggest that the IL-4 C-590T polymorphism is involved in the etiology of CWP and susceptibility to this disease. Larger studies are warranted to validate our findings.
Highlights
Coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP) is a lung disease caused by the inhalation and deposition of occupational coal mine dust in the lungs
The exact mechanisms leading to coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP) are yet to be elucidated, current evidence suggests that CWP is characterized by chronic pulmonary inflammation and fibrotic nodular lesions that usually lead to progressive fibrosis [3]
We found that individuals with the IL-4 CT/CC genotypes had a significant decreased risk of CWP than those with the TT genotype, and this decreased risk was more evident among subgroups of age,65 years (OR = 0.68, 95%confidence intervals (CIs) = 0.46–0.99) and dust exposure years $26 years (OR = 0.69, 95%CI = 0.50–0.94) (Table 4)
Summary
Coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP) is a lung disease caused by the inhalation and deposition of occupational coal mine dust in the lungs. The incidence and rate of CWP progression is related to the amount of respirable coal dust or silica to which coal miners were exposed during their work [1]. In China, workers exposed to coal dust or silica have increasing morbidity and mortality annually [2]. Identification of new genetic factors for CWP would improve diagnosis of patients at risk and help determine effective prophylactic intervention. We investigated the association between the potential functional polymorphisms in IL-4, IL-4R, and IL-13 and coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP) risk in a Chinese population
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