A study on the association of IL-10 promoter polymorphisms with rheumatic heart disease in Turkish female patients

Objective: Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is an inflammatory disease that develops following streptococcal infections. With the help of the pleiotropic effect, interleukin-10 (IL-10) has a role in regulating the responses of the immune system. However, impaired IL-10 expression or signal can impair antigen clearance during acute bacterial infections, creating a favorable environment for persistent inflammation. The aim of our study is to evaluate the relationship between variants' sensitivity of IL-10 (rs1800896, rs1800871, rs1800872) or severity of RHD in Turkish population.
Methods: In this case-control study, 390 female participants (170 RHD/220 control) were examined in terms of IL-10 rs1800896, rs1800871, rs1800872 using the TaqMan 5 'Allelic Discrimination Testing.
Results: It was found out that there was no statistically significant difference between study groups in terms of IL-10 rs1800896, rs1800871, rs1800872 genotypes. However, the rs1800896 variant made a statistically significant difference when both the group with combined valve lesions and the group with a single valve lesion were compared(χ 2=7.532,p=0.023), as well as the group with combined valve lesions and the control group(χ 2 =12.860, p=0.002).
Conclusion: The findings suggest that IL-10 rs1800896, rs1800871, rs1800872 variants are not associated with the pathogenesis of the disease in women in Turkish context. IL-10 rs1800896, rs1800871, rs1800872 variants Turkish population cannot be suggested as a suitable genetic marker for RHD. However, the IL-10 rs1800896 variant appears to be a risk factor for valve involvement. Further studies are needed to clarify the mechanism in this regard.

Keywords: IL-10, Polymorphism, Rheumatic Heart Disease, Rheumatic Fever