Tumor necrosis factor-α -308G/A gene polymorphism in Egyptian children with immune thrombocytopenic purpura

Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is an autoimmune disease characterized by increased platelet destruction. Although the cause of ITP remains unclear, it is accepted that both environmental and genetic factors play an important role in the development of the disease. Children with ITP have a T-helper 1-type cytokine pattern with elevated levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) as in most autoimmune diseases. Researchers have shown that polymorphism in the TNF-α gene at position -308 affects gene transcriptions with increased TNF-α production. The current case-control study aimed at detecting the frequency of TNF-α -308G/A gene polymorphism as genetic markers in Egyptian children with ITP, and to clear out their possible role in choosing the treatment protocols of therapy, using PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism assay. Ninety-two ITP patients and 100 age and sex-matched healthy controls were recruited in the study. The results obtained revealed that the frequency of TNF-α -308A/A homotype in ITP patients was significantly higher than that of the controls, and conferred almost six-fold increased risk of ITP acquisition. The polymorphic A allele frequency was significantly higher in ITP patients than in the controls, conferring almost two-fold increased ITP risk. In conclusion, our study suggests the possibility that TNF-α -308 gene polymorphism may contribute to the susceptibility of childhood ITP in Egyptian children.