Association between interleukin-1β polymorphisms and gastric disease in children: A correlation with Helicobacter pylori

Abstract Objective To investigate an association between the interleukin-1β (IL-1β)−511 T>C (rs16944), −31 C>T (rs1143627), and/or interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA) polymorphisms and gastritis and then to correlate any associations with the presence of Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori ), cagA and vacA genes. Methods Gastric biopsies were obtained from 377 children with gastric symptoms including 152 males and 225 females aging from 1–15 years with the mean age of (9.41 ± 4.29) years. To characterize the −511 T>C, −31 C>T, and IL-1RA polymorphisms, the PCR-RFLP and PCR-VNTR methods were used. PCR was also used for the diagnosis of H. pylori and to determine whether cagA and vacA genes were present. Results The histopathological analysis revealed 206 patients (54.6%) with gastritis and 171 patients (45.4%) with normal gastric tissue. Subjects carrying the −511 T/T genotype were associated with a risk of gastritis (odds ratio (OR) = 2.75, 95% confidence interval ( CI ) 1.45–5.18, P = 0.0035). Similar results were found in subjects carrying −31 C/C (OR = 2.27, 95% CI 1.13–4.54, P = 0.0440). However, the IL-1RA polymorphism did not seem to be associated with gastric disease (OR = 1.38, 95% CI 0.58–3.26, P = 0.2400). Conclusions This data suggests that IL-1β gene cluster polymorphisms and, more specifically, interactions between these polymorphisms and H. pylori may be predictors of gastritis risks, which possibly play a relevant role in the susceptibility to or the development of gastric disease early in life.