Antithetical effect of tumor necrosis factor-alphagene polymorphism on coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP).

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Inter-individual variation in the severity of pneumoconiosis has been described, even with the same environmental exposure. We hypothesized that TNF-alpha promoter polymorphisms associate with lung responses to environmental exposure in coal worker's pneumoconiosis (CWP) patients.

METHODS:

We examined polymorphisms at -238, -308, and -376 in 124 patients with CWP who had similar dust exposure history and in 122 non-exposed controls. CWP patients were divided into two groups: (1) nodular CWP (n = 84); (2) progressive massive fibrosis (PMF) (n = 44).

RESULTS:

The -308 A allele frequency was higher in patients with CWP compared to controls (6.35% and 2.05%, P < 0.01). It was also higher in patients with nodular CWP compared to PMF (P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis revealed that patients with the -308 A allele were 3.8 times (P = 0.036) and those with smoking habit were 2.3 times (P < 0.002) more likely to have nodular CWP than PMF.

CONCLUSION:

TNF-alpha-308 A allele might interact with smoking to enhance susceptibility to nodular CWP.

• Authors: Xin-Tao Wang, Yoshinori Ohtsuka, Kiyonobu Kimura, Miho Muroi, Takashi Ishida, Junpei Saito, Mitsuru Munakata
• Journal: American journal of industrial medicine (Am J Ind Med) Vol. 48 Issue 1 Pg. 24-9 (Jul 2005) ISSN: 0271-3586 [Print] United States
• PMID: 15940715 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Published 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Chemical References

• Coal
• Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

Topics

• Aged
• Alleles
• Case-Control Studies
• Coal
• Disease Susceptibility
• Humans
• Japan (epidemiology)
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Mining
• Occupational Exposure
• Pneumoconiosis (epidemiology, genetics)
• Polymorphism, Genetic
• Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length
• Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (genetics)