IL-16 rs11556218 gene polymorphism is associated with coronary artery disease in the Chinese Han population

ObjectiveOur aim was to investigate the association between IL-16 gene polymorphisms (rs4778889 C/T and rs11556218 G/T) and coronary artery disease (CAD).Design and methodsThe initial cohort consisted of 300 CAD patients and 397 controls from the Chinese Han population. Genotyping was performed by using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). The positive association between polymorphism and CAD was replicated in another independent cohort, which included 424 CAD cases and 332 controls.ResultsIn the initial study, the allele and genotype frequencies of rs4778889 were not different between in CAD and controls (P > 0.05). However, The G allele frequency of rs11556218 was significantly higher in the CAD cases than in the controls (CAD, 46.8% vs. controls, 22.8%, P < 0.001). The risk of CAD was significantly higher in the G allele carriers than in the non-carriers (P < 0.001, adjusted odds ratio = 7.27; 95% confidence interval, 4.13–12.8). In the replication cohort, G carriers of rs11556218 also had a higher risk of CAD (P = 0.005, adjusted OR = 2.33; 95% confidence interval, 1.45–3.74).ConclusionOur study suggested that IL-16 rs11556218 G/T polymorphism is significantly associated with the risk of CAD in the Chinese Han population.