Interleukin-18 Promoter Polymorphisms And Risk Of Ischemic Stroke In A Han Chinese Population

Aim:To elucidate the role of IL-18 as a potential cause for IS susceptibility.Methods:A case-control study was taken from 423 IS patients and 384 healthy controls matched for age and sex. The functional polymorphisms of -607C/A (rs1946518) and -137 G/C (rsl87238) in IL-18 promoter were analyzed by using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and agarose gel electrophoresis. The association of the genotype and allele frequencies with the risk of ischemic stroke was elucidated. Logistic regression was used to adjust for confounding variables.Results:The results revealed that -607 C allele were associated with an increased risk of IS (odds ratios/OR=1.358, P=0.002, power= 100%) and the -137 G allele increased the risk of IS in large artery atherosclerosis (LAA) subtype patients (OR=1.583, P=0.02, power= 94%). Patients with the -607C/-137G haplotype also had significantly increased risk of IS compared to controls (OR= 1.341, P= 0.005, power= 100%).Conclusions:Our findings suggest that the functional polymorphisms in IL-18 promoter may be involved in the risk of developing IS in the Han Chinese population.