Vascular endothelial growth factor gene polymorphisms and psoriasis susceptibility: a meta-analysis

The aim of this study was to explore whether vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) polymorphisms confer susceptibility to psoriasis. Meta-analyses were conducted to examine the associations between the +405 C/G, -460 C/T, -1154 A/G, and -2578 A/C polymorphisms of VEGF and psoriasis using allele contrast and recessive, dominant, and additive models. Seven studies on VEGF polymorphisms and psoriasis involving 1956 subjects (psoriasis patients 665, controls 1291) were included in this meta-analysis. We observed no association between psoriasis and the VEGF +405 C allele in all study subjects (odds ratio = 0.984, 95% confidence interval = 0.754-1.285, P = 0.906), but stratification by ethnicity indicated a significant association between the VEGF +405 C allele and psoriasis in Asians (odds ratio = 0.762, 95% confidence interval = 0.628-0.923, P = 0.005). In addition, we observed a significant association between the VEGF -460 C allele and psoriasis in Europeans (odds ratio = 0.807, 95% confidence interval = 0.672-0.968, P = 0.021). Meta-analyses of the -1154 A/G polymorphism also revealed a significant association with psoriasis in Europeans. However, the VEGF -2578 A/C polymorphism showed no association in all subjects or in Europeans or Asians. This meta-analysis suggests the VEGF +405 C/G polymorphism confers susceptibility to psoriasis in Asians, and that the -460 C/T and -1154 A/G polymorphisms confer susceptibility to psoriasis in Europeans.