Associations between vitamin D receptor polymorphisms and susceptibility to Behcet's disease: A meta-analysis

Background: The vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphisms have been reported to be related to the development of Behcet's disease (BD). However, the results have been inconsistent among diverse populations. Therefore, this comprehensive meta-analysis has been designed to assess a more accurate association between VDR polymorphisms and BD susceptibility.Methods: An electronic literature search was conducted to identify eligible studies. Pooled odds ratios (OR) with corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated in different genetic models to assess this association.Results: A total of six separate comparisons comprised of 468 cases and 516 controls were included in the meta-analysis model. The meta-result demonstrated that A allele of ApaI (A vs. a: 1.54 95% CI=1.04-2.26, P=0.029), and F allele of FokI (F vs. f: OR=0.58, 95% CI=0.45-0.76, P=0.007) polymorphisms were associated with the risk of BD in total and African populations, respectively. This significant association was also found in recessive and homozygotes models. Subgroup analysis indicated that FokI variant among Africans and ApaI variant among Caucasian were significantly associated with the risk of BD. No relationship was found between Bsmi and TaqI polymorphisms and BD risk.Conclusion: This meta-analysis demonstrated the association between FokI and ApaI polymorphisms in VDR gene with the risk of BD, providing insights into the potential role of vitamin D receptor in the pathogenesis of BD.