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Updated: Jul 20, 2026
High Frequency Ultrasound for the Analysis of Fetal and Placental Development In Vivo
Published on: November 8, 2018
Interleukin-10 high producer allele and ultrasound-defined periventricular white matter abnormalities in preterm
M Dördelmann1, J Kerk, F Dressler
1Dept. of Pediatric Pneumology and Neonatology, OE 6710, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany. doerdelmann.michael@mh-hannover.de
Objectives:
Inflammation plays a role in prematurity, in neonatal disorders of the brain, lung, eye, bowel, and in developmental disability among preterm infants. We initiated a pilot study in preterm children to determine the prevalence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the infection/inflammation-associated genes for interleukin (IL)-10 (- 1082 G/A), IL-1beta (+ 3953 C/T), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha (- 308 G/A) and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4) (Asp299Gly) and whether these SNPs affect the risk for neonatal disorders.
Study Design:
We genotyped 73 children >/= 2 years of age whose gestational age at birth was < 32 weeks, and explored the associations between genotypes and neonatal disorders and developmental status at age 2 + years.
Results:
Infants homozygous for the high IL-10 producer - 1082 G-allele (n = 15) were significantly less likely to develop ultrasound-defined periventricular echodensities. A non-significant, but prominent, risk reduction for bronchopulmonary dysplasia, high-grade retinopathy, cerebral palsy, and developmental delay at age 2 + years was present. Polymorphisms in the IL-1beta, TNF-alpha, and TLR-4 genes were too infrequent in our pilot sample to allow for reasonable analysis.
Conclusion:
Infants homozygous for the IL-10 high producer - 1082 G allele might be at reduced risk for prematurity-associated disorders.
