Genetic variants in HLA-DQA1/DQB1 genes modulate the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus in a southern Chinese population

Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is an endocrine disorder that occurs easily in women during pregnancy. HLA-DQA1/DQB1 genes play a crucial role in the regulation of the human immune and endocrine systems, potentially influencing the pathogenesis of GDM.

Objective: To explore the associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in HLA-DQA1/DQB1 genes and the risk of GDM.

Methods
Seven functional SNPs of HLA-DQA1/DQB1 genes were selected and genotyped in 523 GDM patients and 638 normal pregnant women. The odds ratio (OR) and its corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were utilized to assess the association between candidate SNPs and the risk of GDM. And then, false positive report probability (FPRP), multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) and haplotype analysis were employed to validate the statistically significant associations between studied SNPs and GDM risk.