Interleukin-4 -590C/T gene polymorphism in Egyptian children with acute lower respiratory infection: A multicenter study.

BackgroundAcute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) is the leading cause of child mortality, especially in the developing world. Polymorphisms in the interleukin 4 (IL-4) gene have been linked to a variety of human diseases. ObjectivesTo investigate whether the IL-4 -590C/T (rs2243250) polymorphism could be a genetic marker for susceptibility to ALRIs in young Egyptian children. MethodsThis was a multicenter study conducted on 480 children diagnosed with pneumonia or bronchiolitis, and 480 well-matched healthy control children. Using PCR-RFLP analysis, we genotyped a -590C/T (rs2243250) single nucleotide polymorphism of the IL-4 gene promoter, meanwhile the serum IL-4concentration was measured by ELISA. ResultsThe frequency of the IL-4 -590 T/T genotype and T allele were overrepresented in patients with ALRIs in comparison to the control group (OR=2.0; [95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.38-2.96]; for the T/T genotype) and (OR: 1.3; [95%CI: 1.07-1.56]; for the T allele; P<0.01). The IL-4 -590 T/T genotype was associated with significantly higher mean serum IL-4 concentration (58.713.4pg/mL) compared to the C/T genotype (47.6 +/- 11pg/mL) and the C/C genotype (34.8 +/- 9.6pg/mL); P<0.01. ConclusionThe IL-4 -590C/T (rs2243250) polymorphism may contribute to susceptibility to ALRIs in young Egyptian children.