MBL2 polymorphisms and the risk of asthma A meta-analysis

Background: The association between MBL2 gene polymorphisms and the risk of asthma has been evaluated in multiple studies; however, the results are inconsistent. Objective: To perform a meta-analysis to explore whether MBL2 gene polymorphisms were associated with the risk of asthma. Methods: We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library to find relevant articles published up to March 2016. Nine studies, including 2066 cases and 2183 controls, were included in the meta-analysis. The strength of association was evaluated by odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: The results reveal that MBL2 gene polymorphisms (codon 54 A/B, -550 H/L or -221 X/Y) were not associated with the risk of asthma (codon 54 A/B: BB+AB vs AA: OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.85-1.23; -550 H/L: LL+HL vs HH: OR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.63-1.03; -221 X/Y: XX+YX vs YY: OR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.69-1.04). Subgroup analysis by ethnicity implied that the MBL2 codon 54 A/B polymorphism was not significantly associated with the risk of asthma in Asians (BB+AB vs AA: OR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.70-1.29) or whites (BB+AB vs AA: OR, 1.07; 95% CI, 0.84-1.35). Conclusion: The results indicated that MBL2 gene polymorphisms (codon 54 A/B, -550 H/L or -221 X/Y) may be not associated with the risk of asthma. (C) 2016 American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.