Summary
Inflammation is a key factor in the pathogenesis of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA).
Interleukin 1 (IL-1), a fundamental regulator of the inflammatory cascade, has been
shown to be involved in this process. Several functional polymorphisms in the IL-1
gene cluster are known. In this matched case-control study, we investigated a potential
association between six genetic variants in IL-1 and IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1
RN) withAAA. We enrolled 405 individuals, 135 consecutive patients with AAA were individually
age- and sex-matched to 270 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Traditional
cardiovascular risk factors and IL-1 genotypes were determined, and the distribution
of six single nucleotide polymorphisms were compared between patients and controls
by multivariable conditional logistic regression analysis: IL-1A (-889) C>T, IL-1A
(+4845) G>T, IL-1B (-511) C>T, IL-1B (-31) C>T, IL-1B (+3954) C>T and IL-1RN (+2018)
C>T. IL-1A (-889) C>T and IL-1A (+4845) G>T (kappa 0.98, 95% CI 0.96 to 1.00), and
IL-1B (-511) C>T and IL-1B (-31) C>T (kappa 0.98, 95% CI 0.96 to 1.00) were closely
linked, therefore IL-1A (-889) C>T and IL-1B (-31) C>T were not considered for further
analyses. None of the 4 remaining polymorphisms showed a significant association with
AAA: IL-1RN (+2018) C>T (p=0.061), IL-1B (+3954) C>T (p=0.51), IL-1B (-511) C>T (p=0.61)
and IL-1A (+4845) G>T (p=0.81). No significant first-degree interactions between the
genetic variants andAAA were detected. In conclusion, these six genetic variants in
the interleukin-1 gene cluster do not seem to play a clinically relevant role in the
pathogenesis of AAA, although we cannot rule out the existence of higher degree gene-gene
or gene-environment interactions.
Keywords
Abdominal aortic aneurysm - interleukin 1 - inflammation