Association of interleukin-10 gene promoter polymorphisms with recurrent pregnancy loss: a meta-analysis

It has been reported single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the IL-10 promoter might be associated with the susceptibility to recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL). Owing to the inconclusive results, we conducted a meta-analysis to systematically summarize and clarify the association between the IL-10 promoter SNPs and RPL risk.

A systematic search of studies on the association of the three SNPs with RPL was conducted in PubMed and Embase. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CIs) were used to pool the effect size.

Eleven case-control studies on rs1800896, seven studies on rs1800871, and eight studies on rs1800872 were included. A significant association was identified between IL-10 rs1800896 with RPL risk (G versus A: OR = 1.21, 95 % CI 1.09-1.35). No evidence of association was found between rs1800871 and RPL when restricted to those studies in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in controls (T versus C: OR = 1.25, 95 % CI 0.76-2.06). No statistical association was demonstrated between rs1800872 and RPL (C versus A: OR = 1.08, 95 % CI 0.83-1.42).

IL-10 rs1800896 significantly increases the risk of RPL, while rs1800872 is not correlated with RPL risk. No significant association is demonstrated between rs1800871 and RPL risk but this requires further investigation.