Associations between interleukin-23R polymorphisms and ankylosing spondylitis susceptibility: a meta-analysis

The aim of this study was to determine whether interleukin-23R (IL-23R) polymorphisms confer susceptibility to ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The authors conducted meta-analyses on associations between IL-23R polymorphisms and AS susceptibility, using fixed and random effects models. A total of 10 studies (14 separate comparisons) were included in this meta-analysis, which included European and Asian populations. Meta-analysis revealed a significant association between AS and the two alleles of rs11209032 polymorphism in all study subjects (OR = 1.182, 95% CI 1.120-1.249, P = 0.000). Stratification by ethnicity identified a significant association between this polymorphism and AS in the European (OR = 1.234, 95% CI 1.159-1.313, P = 0.000), but not in the Asian populations (OR = 1.030, 95% CI 0.921-1.152, P = 0.608). Meta-analyses of rs1004819, rs10489629, rs1343151, rs1495965, and rs2201841 polymorphisms showed the same pattern as that shown by rs11209032 meta-analysis. Meta-analysis also revealed a significant association between the two alleles of the rs11209026 and the rs11465804 polymorphisms and the risk of developing AS in Europeans. Interestingly, the rs7517847 polymorphism was found to be significantly associated with AS susceptibility in both Europeans and Asians. This meta-analysis shows that the IL-23R polymorphisms are associated with the development of AS in Europeans.