Quantitative assessment of the association between the GSTM1-null genotype and the risk of childhood asthma.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Many studies investigated the association between the glutathione S-transferase M 1 (GSTM1)-null genotype and childhood asthma risk, but there was obvious inconsistence among those studies. The aim of this meta-analysis was to quantify the strength of association between the GSTM1-null genotype and risk of childhood asthma.

METHODS:

We searched the PubMed, Embase, and Wangfang databases for studies relating the association between the GSTM1-null genotype and risk of childhood asthma. We estimated the pooled odds ratio (OR) with its 95% confidence interval (95% CI) to assess the association.

RESULTS:

Nineteen case-control studies with 4,543 childhood asthma cases and 19,394 controls were included into this meta-analysis. Meta-analysis of all 19 studies showed that the GSTM1-null genotype was associated with increased risk of childhood asthma (OR=1.17, 95% CI 1.03-1.34, p=0.017). Subgroup analyses by ethnicity suggested that the GSTM1-null genotype was associated with an increased risk of childhood asthma in Caucasians and Africans (for Caucasians, fixed-effects OR=1.16, 95% CI 1.07-1.27, p=0.001; for Africans, fixed-effects OR=1.92, 95% CI 1.35-2.74, p<0.001). The cumulative meta-analyses showed a trend of obvious association between the GSTM1-null genotype and risk of childhood asthma as information accumulated in the analyses of both total studies and Caucasians. No evidence of publication bias was observed.

CONCLUSION:

Meta-analyses of available data suggest a significant association between the GSTM1-null genotype and the risk of childhood asthma, and the GSTM1-null genotype contributes to increased risk of childhood asthma, especially in Caucasians and Africans.

• Authors: Fang Li, Shizhi Li, Hongyu Chang, Yaling Nie, Li Zeng, Xia Zhang, Yi Wang
• Journal: Genetic testing and molecular biomarkers (Genet Test Mol Biomarkers) Vol. 17 Issue 9 Pg. 656-61 (Sep 2013) ISSN: 1945-0257 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 23368529 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Meta-Analysis, Review)

Chemical References

• Glutathione Transferase
• glutathione S-transferase M1

Topics

• Adolescent
• Asthma (epidemiology, genetics)
• Black People (genetics)
• Case-Control Studies
• Child
• Child, Preschool
• Female
• Genotype
• Glutathione Transferase (genetics)
• Humans
• Male
• PubMed
• Risk Factors
• White People (genetics)