Lack of association between TNF polymorphism and ankylosing spondylitis susceptibility in HLA-B27-positive population: a meta-analysis

Objective Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B27 plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of AS. TNF polymorphisms have been reported to be associated with AS susceptibility, but the results of these previous studies have been inconsistent. The aim of this study was to explore whether TNF polymorphism is associated with AS susceptibility in HLA-27-positive population. Methods Our search was done in the Pubmed, Embase, and Cochrane databases (up to March 2020). The pooled and individual odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of the minor allele of each locus were presented to assess the associations between TNF polymorphisms and AS in HLA-B27-positive population. Results Ten studies from 8 articles were included in this meta-analysis. In the population of HLA-B27-positive patients and random healthy controls, there were statistical significance in the evaluation of association between the minor allele of TNF-238, -308, -857, -1031 and -863 and AS susceptibility, respectively. In the population of HLA-B27-positive patients and HLA-B27-positive healthy controls, there were no statistical differences in the comparison of minor allele of with their respective major allele in the fixed model. Conclusions There was no association of the TNF polymorphisms with AS in the HLA-B27-positive AS group and HLA-B27-positive control group. Polymorphisms of TNF-238, -308, -857, -1031, -863 were associated with AS susceptibility in the HLA-B27-positive AS patients and random control population. Other gene SNPs except TNF may play an important role in AS susceptibility in HLA-B27-positive population.