Single nucleotide polymorphisms of TNF-Α gene in febrile seizures

Febrile seizures (FS) is the most common seizure disorder during childhood. This study was performed in 78 patients with FS and 137 control subjects to assess polymorphisms of the TNF-α gene at positions − 308 and − 238, using the polymerase chain reaction and the sequence specific primers method. The highest positive allelic association that made the patients susceptible to FS was seen for TNF-α − 238/G (p < 0.0001). The GG genotype at TNF-α − 238 was significantly higher in the patients with FS, compared to the controls (p = 0.0001). Also, GA genotype at the same position was significantly lower in patients than in controls (P = 0.0001). The GG haplotype had a significant positive association at TNF-α (308, 238) while GA haplotype showed a negative association (P < 0.001). Our data support the idea that TNF-α single-nucleotide polymorphisms play a role in the pathogenesis of FS.