Significance of MDR1 gene C3435T polymorphism in predicting childhood refractory epilepsy

•The analysis showed that there were significantly more cases with the MDR1 3435 CC genotype in European population.•The association of the MDR1 3435 CC genotype with risk of drug-resistance was significant in a '>2010' group based on publication year subgroup analysis.•The allelic association of MDR1 C3435T with risk of drug-resistance was significant in European population.

The association between the MDR1 gene C3435T polymorphism and childhood intractable epilepsy remains controversial. In this study, we performed a meta-analysis to clarify this issue. We searched the PubMed, Medline, Embase and CNKI databases for studies published through October 2016 that evaluated the association between the MDR1 C3435T polymorphism and childhood refractory epilepsy. Eleven studies involving 863 cases in the group with drug-resistant epilepsy and 915 cases in the group with drug-responsive epilepsy were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. The analysis showed that there was not a significant association of the MDR1 C3435T polymorphism overall with risk of drug-resistance. But the allelic association of MDR1 C3435T and the association of the MDR1 3435 CC genotype with risk of drug-resistance were significant among European population and a ' > 2010' group based on publication year subgroup analysis. The relationship between the MDR1 C3435T polymorphism and childhood refractory epilepsy needs further validation.