Meta-analysis of the rs231775 locus polymorphism in the CTLA-4 gene and the susceptibility to Graves' disease in children

The aim of this study was to systematically evaluate the correlation between the rs231775 locus polymorphism in the cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) gene and genetic susceptibility to Graves' disease (GD) in children. Some studies found that the CTLA-4 gene polymorphism was associated with GD in children. The data up to February 2022 were retrieved from the databases. Stata 15.0 software was used for meta-analysis. A total of seven studies were included in our research. The results of the meta-analysis showed that the rs231775 locus polymorphism in the CTLA-4 gene in general and Asian populations was correlated with children's susceptibility to GD (A vs G: OR = 0.75, 95% CI (0.660-0.86); GG vs AA: OR = 1.34, 95% CI (1.04-1.73); AG vs AA: OR = 1.32, 95% CI (1.02-1.10); AG + GG vs AA: OR = 3.81, 95% CI (2.17-6.70); GG vs AA + AG: OR = 1.23, 95% CI (1.05-1.45)). In summary, the rs231775 locus polymorphism in the CLTA-4 gene may be a risk factor for GD in Asian children. The G allele may be a susceptibility factor, while the allele A may be a protective factor against GD in Asian children. In the future, more large-scale studies may be needed to verify our results.