ABSTRACT
Background: A polymorphism located in the promoter region (-174 G I C) of interleukin 6 (IL-6) has been linked to early onset of type 1 diabetes (T1D) and increased body mass index (BMI). Aim: To evaluate the possible association of this -IL-6 gene 174 GIC polymorphism with T1D, BMI and metabolic control in T1D patients in a case-control study. Patients and Methods:-174 G I C polymorphisms were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism in 145 women with T1D and 103 healthy controls. BMI and BMI-Z-scores were tabulated and metabolic control was recorded. Results: There was a higher frequency for the C allele in T1D patients compared with the control group (21 percent versus 14.1 percent, p = 0.047). No significant differences in genotype frequencies for the -174 GIC polymorphism of IL-6 gene between patients with T1D and controls, were observed. There were no significant associations with T1D and BMI. Conclusions: A higher frequency of C allele in women with T1D was the only finding in this series, suggesting that the polymorphic variant is not related to weight gain in these patients.