Importancia de los polimorfismos de la ciclooxigenasa-2 en la presentación clínica de la sarcoidosis.

OBJECTIVE: To study clinical manifestations of sarcoidosis according to cyclooxigenase-2 (COX-2) polymorphisms. METHOD: Observational cross-sectional multicentre trial in which 7 Spanish hospitals participated. Patients diagnosed with sarcoidosis according to international criteria were included. Age, gender, diagnostic method, angiontensin converting enzyme, pul- monary function tests, radiological stage and clinical findings at the moment of the diagnosis were recorded for each case included. Clinical findings were grouped as respiratory or systemic. Genetic studies were performed on DNA extracted from peripheral blood lymphocytes. DNA was amplified by conventional PCR and poly- morphisms were studied by Fluorescent Hybridization Probe-Melt- ing Curves. COX-2 polymorphisms genotyped were COX2.5909 T>G, COX2.8473 T>C, COX2.926 G>C y COX2.3050 G>C. RESULTS: 131 sarcoidosis patients (63 males, age: 47 ± 15 years) were included. All included patients had a histological diag- nosis except for 5 patients. COX2.3050G>C homozygote polymor- phism resulted to be significantly present in patients with a systemic manifestation of the disease as compared with the rest of the sample (4,6% vs 0%; p = 0,045). Systemic manifestations were significantly associated with allele C carriers of this polymorphism (34.4% vs. 18.6%; p = 0.031; OR: 2.3; IC 95%: 1.03 - 5.12). The rest of the studied polymorphisms were not significantly related to the clinical manifestations of the disease. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that allele C carriers of COX2.3050G>C polymorphism are associated with the systemic manifestations of sarcoidosis.