Complex role of IL-23R polymorphisms on ankylosing spondylitis: a meta-analysis

<b>Background</b>: The aim of the meta-analysis was to evaluate the association between 10 widely studied polymorphisms of interleukin-23 receptor gene (<i>IL-23R</i>) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). <b>Methods</b>: A comprehensive literature search, screening of eligible articles and data extraction was performed independently by two investigators. Further meta-analysis was conducted with STATA 12.0 software (Stata Corp.; College Station, TX, USA). The association between <i>IL-23R</i> polymorphisms and AS was evaluated by odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). <b>Results</b>: Twenty-five case–control studies with 8431 cases and 8972 controls were included in this meta-analysis. Quantitative meta-analysis revealed that minor allele frequency (MAF) of rs1004819, rs1495965, and rs2201841 was significantly higher in the AS group (<i>p</i> value &lt; .001, &lt; .001, = .010, respectively). MAF of rs10489629, rs11209026, rs11465804, and rs1343151was significantly lower in the AS group (<i>p</i> value = .002, &lt; .001, = .032, &lt; .001, respectively). However, there is no significant difference between these two groups in rs10889677, rs11209032, and rs7517847 frequency (<i>p</i> value = .128, .237, .131, respectively). <b>Conclusions</b>: The present study indicates that minor allele carriers of rs1004819, rs1495965, and rs2201841 are susceptible to AS. Conversely, minor alleles of rs10489629, rs11209026, rs11465804, and rs1343151 have protective effect on AS.