RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: It is evident that cytokines play a role in the pathogenesis as well as the progression of renal diseases. The purpose of this study was to determine whether cytokine gene polymorphism is a marker of susceptibility to end-stage kidney failure (ESKF) in Korean populations. METHODS: -308 G/A polymorphism of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) gene was genotyped in 257 dialysis patients and 277 age-matched healthy controls, 86 NIDDM patients with kidney failure and 102 NIDDM controls without nephropathy. RESULTS: We found a decreased frequency of TNF-alpha allele 2 (TNF2, 2.9%) in ESKF patients compared to healthy controls (7.5%, p<0.05). We also found a decreased frequency of TNF-alpha allele 2 (TNF2, 2.3%) in NIDDM patients with kidney failure compared to NIDDM controls without nephropathy (7.6%, p<0.05). The carriage rate of TNF2 was significantly lower in NIDDM patients with kidney failure than in NIDDM controls without nephropathy (4.4% vs. 13.2%, p<0.05). In addition, allele frequency of TNF2 were remarkably different from those previously reported, indicating a significant ethnic difference. CONCLUSION: There is a significant ethnic difference in the polymorphism of TNF-alpha gene. The non-carriage TNF2 was more prevalent in the kidney failur group. But, we could not determine any association between the TNF-alpha gene polymorphism and the development of kidney failure.