Severity of Alopecia Areata Is Associated with a Polymorphism in the Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist Gene

One of the most potent pro-inflammatory mediators is the earlyacting cytokine interleukin-1. Its actions are regulated by a structurally related anti-inflammatory cytokine known as the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist. We have previously characterized a DNA polymorphism in this gene (IL-1rn) and ha...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of investigative dermatology 1994-09, Vol.103 (3), p.387-390
Main Authors: Tarlow, Joanna K, Clay, Frances E, Cork, Michael J, Blakemore, Alexandra I F, McDonagh, Andrew J G, Messenger, Andrew G, Duff, Gordon W
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alleles
Alopecia - genetics
Alopecia - pathology
cytokines
Cytokines - genetics
Genes
genotype
Humans
Polymorphism, Genetic
Receptors, Interleukin-1 - antagonists & inhibitors
Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid
severity factors
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Request full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:One of the most potent pro-inflammatory mediators is the earlyacting cytokine interleukin-1. Its actions are regulated by a structurally related anti-inflammatory cytokine known as the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist. We have previously characterized a DNA polymorphism in this gene (IL-1rn) and have found associations between allele 2 and several chronic inflammatory diseases. In the present study, we tested the frequency of allele 2 of the IL-1rn gene in 90 patients with alopecia areata compared with 261 healthy controls. There was a significant association between allele 2 of the polymorphism and the severity of alopecia areata. The frequency of allele 2 increased from 24.1% in the control population to 25.9% in patchy alopecia areata, 36.1% in alopecia totalis, and 47.2% in alopecia universalis (p = 0.005). This severity association is similar to that found in other epithelial-related diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease, lichen sclerosus, and systemic lupus erythematosus.
ISSN:0022-202X
1523-1747
DOI:10.1111/1523-1747.ep12395398