Association between tumor necrosis factor-α promoter polymorphism and Alzheimer's disease

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) gene polymorphisms have been reported to be associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) in Caucasian populations. Three TNFalpha polymorphisms (-857, -863, and -1,031) were studied in a Chinese population. A high-risk TNFalpha haplotype (-1,031C-863C-857C) with an odds ratio of 2.54 (95% CI 1.37 to 4.79) for AD was identified. No interaction effect of APOE and TNFalpha genotypes was found, but both acted as important risk factors for AD.