Abstract
Numerous studies have evaluated the association between regulated upon activation, normal T cells expressed and secreted (RANTES) gene polymorphisms (−403G/A and −28C/G) and risk of pediatric asthma. However, the results have been inconsistent. A meta-analysis of the association between RANTES gene polymorphisms and pediatric asthma risk was performed in the current study. A search for published literature was conducted in the Google Scholar, PubMed and the CNKI databases (January 2000 to April 2012) and seven studies were retrieved. The associations between RANTES gene polymorphisms and pediatric asthma risk were estimated by pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) using a fixed- or random-effects model. Meta-analysis results revealed no significant association between the −403G/A polymorphism and risk of pediatric asthma. In the subgroup analysis by ethnicity, no association was identified between the −403G/A polymorphism and pediatric asthma risk in Caucasian and Asian populations. In the −28C/G group, the meta-analysis indicated a significant association between the −28C/G polymorphism and pediatric asthma susceptibility among the total population (recessive model: OR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.04–1.72). However, when the subgroup analysis was performed by ethnicity, no significant associations were identified in Asians and Europeans. This result suggests that the −28C/G polymorphism may not be associated with pediatric asthma risk, while the observed increase in the risk of pediatric asthma may be due to racial differences. Additional large-scale studies are required to provide conclusive evidence on the effects of RANTES gene polymorphisms on the risk of pediatric asthma.
Highlights
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the respiratory airways leading to episodes of wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness and coughing [1]
A number of research studies have evaluated the association of RANTES gene polymorphisms (-403G/A and -28C/G) and pediatric asthma risk, but the results are controversial, making it difficult to speculate the true correlation between gene polymorphisms and pediatric asthma
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first meta-analysis to consider RANTES gene polymorphisms and pediatric asthma. This meta-analysis quantitatively assessed the association between RANTES gene polymorphisms (-403G/A and -28C/G) and susceptibility to pediatric asthma
Summary
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the respiratory airways leading to episodes of wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness and coughing [1]. The major risk factors for the development and persistence of asthma are allergic disease, reduced lung function and viral and bacterial infections [3,4,5]. Variants in over 40 genes have been associated with asthma [6]. The regulated upon activation, normal T cells expressed and secreted (RANTES) protein is one of the most extensively studied chemokines in allergic and infectious diseases [8]. Two polymorphisms in the RANTES promoter region (-28 C/G and -403 G/A) have been demonstrated to affect the transcription of the RANTES gene and exacerbate asthma severity [9,10]. To aid the clarification of the inconsistent findings, with the publication of several more recent studies, this meta‐analysis of RANTES gene polymorphisms (-403G/A and -28C/G) and the risk of pediatric asthma was conducted
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