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Association between VDR polymorphisms and multiple sclerosis: systematic review and updated meta-analysis of case-control studies

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Abstract

Vitamin D receptor (VDR) polymorphisms have been inconsistently investigated in multiple sclerosis (MS). However, published studies demonstrated differences concerning design and effect size. A meta-analysis is necessary to determine the magnitude of the association between VDR polymorphisms and MS risk. The aim of the current study was to quantify the magnitude of the association between BsmI, FokI, ApaI, and TaqI VDR polymorphisms and MS risk. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we conducted a systematic search and meta-analysis of the VDR gene polymorphisms and the risk of MS. The pooled odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated by using Stata Version 11.0 with dominant and recessive models and allele analyses. A total of 4013 cases and 4218 controls in 24 case-control studies were included in the meta-analyses. The results did not indicate an association between any of the VDR polymorphisms and the risk of MS among overall populations, Asians, and Caucasians. However, our subgroup analysis suggests that the A allele was associated with MS risk in Asian populations (P = 0.005, OR = 1.267, 95% CI 1.074–1.496). Interestingly, the sensitivity analysis excluding studies with controls not in HWE showed insignificant association between the A allele and MS risk (P = 0.211), which was different from those in the non-sensitivity analysis. Our preliminary results indicate the VDR gene ApaI, BsmI, FokI, and TaqI polymorphisms may not be associated with elevated MS risk among overall populations. But ApaI polymorphism may confer different susceptibility to MS among different populations, and more well-designed studies with a large sample size are still needed to validate our results.

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Funding

This work was partly supported by grants from the Anhui Provincial Laboratory of Population Health & Major Disease Screening and Diagnosis, the Key Project of the Education Department of Anhui Province Natural Science Research (code: KJ2017A164, KJ2017A686).

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Author notes

  1. Yan-Jie Zhang and Li Zhang contributed equally to this work and should be considered co-first authors.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Meishan Road 81, Hefei, Anhui, 230032, People’s Republic of China

    Yan-Jie Zhang, Xiao-Lei Huang, Yu Duan, Li-Juan Yang, Dong-Qing Ye & Jing Wang

  2. Medical Genetics Center, Anhui Medical College, Hefei, China

    Li Zhang

  3. Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China

    Shan-Yu Chen

  4. Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Anhui Provincial Hospital, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China

    Guo-Jun Yang

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  1. Yan-Jie Zhang
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Correspondence to Jing Wang.

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Zhang, YJ., Zhang, L., Chen, SY. et al. Association between VDR polymorphisms and multiple sclerosis: systematic review and updated meta-analysis of case-control studies. Neurol Sci 39, 225–234 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-017-3175-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-017-3175-3

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