ABSTRACT
Objective The aim of this study was to explore the association of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)promoter-308A/G polymorphism with rheumatoid arthritis(RA)susceptibility in East Asian population based on the meta-analysis. Methods We searched all the publications about the association between TNF-α promoter -308A/G polymorphism and RA in East Asian population from PubMed, Ebsco, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database(CBM), Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI), and Wanfang (Chinese). Meta-analysis was performed for genotypes AA versus GG, GA versus GG, AA versus GG+GA,GA+AA versus GG, and A allele versus G allele in a fixed/random effect model. Results A total of 4 studies (957 cases and 1196 controls)were included in the current meta-analysis(three Chinese and one Japanese studies). When all groups were pooled, significant association of A allele and decreased RA risk was found (OR=0.36, 95%CI=0.16～0.80, P=0.01). When analyses were limited to race homogeneous population,significant association of A allele and decreased RA risk was found in Chinese population(OR=0.40, 95%CI=0.16～1.01, P=0.05). Conclusion This meta-analysis demonstrates significant negative association between TNF-α promoter-308A/G polymorphism and RA in East Asian and Chinese population.