Immune regulatory gene polymorphisms as predisposing risk factors for the development of factor VIII inhibitors in Indian severe haemophilia A patients

Development of inhibitors to factor VIII, a serious complication of replacement therapy in haemophilia A patients, leads to increased bleeding, morbidity and mortality. There is no data on the risk factors for inhibitor development in Indian patients with severe haemophilia A. Our aim was to study the role of immune regulatory gene polymorphisms in the development of inhibitors. Fourteen immune regulatory gene polymorphisms (IL1 beta, IL4, IL10, TNFA and CTLA4) were analysed in 120 patients with severe haemophilia A, i.e. 50 inhibitor positive patients, and 70 inhibitor negative control patients, by PCR-RFLP, DNA sequencing and allele-specific PCRs. The IL10 promoter GCC haplotypes overall (P: 0.002, OR: 3.452, 95% CI: 1.6077.416), and GCC/ATA (P: 0.011, OR: 3.492, 95% CI: 1.4028.696) haplotype, associated with high and intermediate IL10 production, respectively, were significantly higher in inhibitor positive patients, whereas the non-GCC haplotypes overall (P: 0.002,OR: 0.290, 95% CI 0.1350.622) and ATA/ATA haplotype (P: 0.025, OR: 0.278, 95% CI: 0.0960.802), associated with low IL10 synthesis, were significantly higher among inhibitor negative patients. The TNFA rs1799724 C/T heterozygote prevalence was significantly higher in the inhibitor positive group (P: 0.021, OR: 3.190, 95% CI: 1.2737.990), whereas the other polymorphisms showed no statistically significant association with the presence of inhibitors. Different immune regulatory gene polymorphisms play a significant role as possible risk factors for the development of inhibitors in severe haemophilia A patients.