A Detailed Meta-Analysis Shows No Association between TNF-α-308G/A Polymorphism and Different Forms of Glaucoma

Objective: Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide. To date, several publications have evaluated the association between the tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) -308G/A polymorphism and glaucoma risk. However, the results remain inconclusive. The aim of our study was to clarify the effect of the TNF-alpha -308G/A polymorphism on glaucoma risk. Method: We conducted searches of the published literature in the PubMed database updated to May 2010. A meta-analysis was performed by critically reviewing 7 publications with a total of 1,199 glaucoma cases and 1,189 controls on the -308G/A polymorphism. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the strength of this relationship. Results: Overall, no association between the TNF-alpha -308G/A polymorphism and primary open-angle glaucoma or pseudoexfoliation glaucoma risk was found in the A allele versus G allele genetic model (OR = 1.68, 95% CI = 0.78-3.59 or OR = 2.44, 95% CI = 0.40-15.04, respectively), the same as genetic models in AG versus GG and AA + AG versus GG. In the stratified analysis by ethnicity and source of control subgroups, a significant association was still not observed in all genetic models. Conclusion: Our meta-analysis provides strong evidence that the TNF-alpha -308G/A polymorphism is not associated with different forms of glaucoma risk. Copyright (C) 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel