Interleukin-4 gene polymorphisms in Japanese and Caucasian patients with aggressive periodontitis

Recently, interleukin (IL) 4 gene polymorphisms have been analyzed in association with periodontitis. Genetic differences between Caucasian and Japanese patients with periodontitis have previously been detected. The aim of the present study was to analyze IL-4 genotypes in Caucasian and Japanese patients with aggressive periodontitis (AgP).

One hundred and twenty-four subjects were included in the study, 31 Japanese and 30 Caucasian patients with generalized AgP, plus 30 Japanese and 33 Caucasian healthy controls. IL-4 polymorphisms were determined by polymerase chain reaction. A logistic regression was used to investigate the possible association of the genotypes with the disease in both populations. Odds ratio (OR) estimates were analyzed for allele frequencies.

No significant association of IL-4 polymorphisms with the risk of AgP was determined in either population. However, the allele frequencies showed different results between populations. The carriage of the polymorphism in intron 2 was higher in Caucasian patients compared with controls (OR: 2.0, 95% confidence interval: [1.0;4.2]. Furthermore, the frequency of the IL-4 promoter/intron 2 composite genotype (PP+/IP+) in patients and controls, respectively, was found to be approximately 25% and 60% higher in the Japanese population than in the Caucasian population.

There was no evidence of an association of IL-4 genotypes and AgP in either population, although the frequencies of the IL-4 genotypes in the Japanese and the Caucasians were different.