Variations in IL-1R1 Gene Influence Risk for Hepatitis B Virus Infection of Children in a Han Chinese population

•Host genetic factors play an important role in the pathogenesis of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.•This is the first study reporting the association between IL-1R1 SNPs and HBV infection in children.•Our study confirmed that genetic variance in IL-1R1 (rs3917267) had a significant association with HBV infection and HBV breakthrough infection in children.

Background/AimsHost genetic factors play an important role in the pathogenesis of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. However, the role of Interleukin1Receptor, Type I (IL-1R1) gene in HBV infection and breakthrough infection in children remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between SNPs in IL-1 family and HBV infection and breakthrough infection in children.Patients and MethodsA total of 627 Chinese children (274 HBV infected children and 353 controls) ages 6 months to 12 years were recruited from October 2013 to May 2015.Six SNPs were genotyped in IL-1R1, Interleukin-1beta (IL-1B) and Interleukin-18 (IL-18) genes.ResultsA statistically significant association was found between genotype AA in rs3917267 (IL-1R1) and HBV infection in children (OR, 1.740; 95%CI, 1.091-2.774; p = 0.020), which was also found at allele A (OR, 1.316;95%CI, 1.050-1.648; p = 0.017). Furthermore, rs3917267 was also significantly associated with breakthrough infection of HBV in children born of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive mothers (OR,3.675; 95%CI, 1.160-11.646; P = 0.027).ConclusionOur study confirmed that genetic variant in IL-1R1(rs3917267) has significant association with HBV infection and HBV breakthrough infection in children, which provides new clues for the study of pathogenesis of chronic HBV infection in children.