Associations between tumor necrosis factor-α gene polymorphisms and the risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome and its subtypes: A systematic review and meta-analysis

•This meta-analysis assessed the relationship between TNF-α polymorphisms and GBS.•TNF-α 308G/A polymorphism was associated with GBS, AMAN, and AMSAN but not with AIDP.•TNF-α 857C/T polymorphism was associated with AMAN but not with GBS or AIDP.•TNF-α 238G/A and 863C/A polymorphisms were not associated with GBS or its subtypes.

This meta-analysis aimed to assess the relationship between tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) polymorphisms and Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) or its subtypes of acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (AIDP), acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN), and acute motor-sensory axonal neuropathy (AMSAN). A total of six studies with 1013 cases and 1029 controls were included. Our pooled data indicated that TNF-α 308G/A polymorphism was significantly associated with GBS, AMAN, and AMSAN but not with AIDP; TNF-α 857C/T polymorphism was significantly associated with AMAN but not with GBS or AIDP. Besides, no association was found between TNF-α 238G/A and 863C/A polymorphisms and GBS or its subtypes.

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