Association between VEGF − 634G/C polymorphism and susceptibility to autoimmune diseases: A meta-analysis

• We assessed VEGF − 634G/C polymorphism and autoimmune diseases risk by meta-analysis.
• VEGF − 634G/C polymorphism is linked to autoimmune diseases in Asian population.
• The role of VEGF polymorphism in autoimmune diseases may be based on ethnicity.
• This work is helpful to understanding the mechanism of autoimmune diseases.

The role of VEGF − 634G/C polymorphism has been involved in the investigations of susceptibility to autoimmune diseases, but the conclusion remains controversial. Here, we have performed a meta-analysis to clarify the relationship between them. All relevant articles updating to August 2013 were searched in PubMed and EMBASE. Crude odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) based on the available articles were calculated. A total of 24 independent studies associated with autoimmune disease were analyzed in our research. The results show that VEGF − 634G/C polymorphism was associated with susceptibility to autoimmune disease in Asian population (C vs. G: OR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.80–0.96, P = 0.543; CC vs. GG: OR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.63–0.93, P = 0.787; CC + GC vs. GG: OR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.67–0.96, P = 0.080 by random effects model). Nevertheless, no significant associations were found in total population or in other stratified groups. In the current meta-analysis, we reveal a significant association between VEGF − 634G/C polymorphism and susceptibility to autoimmune diseases in Asian population.