Brief Article
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World J Gastroenterol. Jun 28, 2012; 18(24): 3119-3128
Published online Jun 28, 2012. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v18.i24.3119
Relationship between HLA-DR gene polymorphisms and outcomes of hepatitis B viral infections: A meta-analysis
Ze-Hui Yan, Yi Fan, Xiao-Hong Wang, Qing Mao, Guo-Hong Deng, Yu-Ming Wang
Ze-Hui Yan, Yi Fan, Xiao-Hong Wang, Qing Mao, Guo-Hong Deng, Yu-Ming Wang, Institute of Infectious Diseases, Southwest Hospital, the Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
Author contributions: Yan ZH and Wang YM designed the research; Yan ZH and Fan Y performed the research; Yan ZH, Wang XH and Mao Q analyzed the data; Yan ZH wrote the paper; Deng GH and Wang YM reviewed and revised the paper.
Supported by The National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 30972598; National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program), No. 2007CB512903; and the State Key Project Specialized for Infectious Diseases, No. 2008ZX10002-007
Correspondence to: Yu-Ming Wang, Professor, Institute of Infectious Diseases, Southwest Hospital, the Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China. wym417@163.com
Telephone: +86-23-68754858 Fax: +86-23-65334998
Received: July 8, 2011
Revised: November 26, 2011
Accepted: December 3, 2011
Published online: June 28, 2012
Abstract

AIM: To assess the rigorous relationship between human leukocyte antigens (HLA)-DR alleles and outcomes of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections by means of meta-analysis.

METHODS: Medline/PubMed, EMBASE, CNKI and VIP were searched to identify relevant studies. Study quality was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were pooled using Stata 11.0. Subgroup analyses were performed by ethnicity. Heterogeneity and publication bias analyses were performed to validate the credibility.

RESULTS: A total of 2609 patients with chronic hepatitis B and 2606 controls spontaneously recovering from prior HBV infection were included. Meta-analysis showed that HLA-DR*04 (OR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.60-0.85) and DR*13 (OR = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.19-0.37) alleles were significantly associated with HBV clearance while patients carrying HLA-DR*03 (OR = 1.47, 95% CI: 1.16-1.87) or DR*07 (OR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.24-2.03) alleles had a significantly increased risk of chronic HBV persistence. For the HLA-DR*01 polymorphism, a significantly association with HBV clearance was found in Chinese Han group (OR = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.26-0.86), but not found in other ethnic groups (P = 0.191). For other polymorphisms, no association with the HBV infection outcome was found.

CONCLUSION: HLA-DR*04 and DR*13 alleles may be the protective factors for HBV clearance and HLA-DR*03, and DR*07 alleles may be the risk factors for HBV persistence.

Keywords: Hepatitis B virus; Human leukocyte antigens; Meta-analysis; Polymorphism