TNF-alpha gene polymorphisms on development of amyloidosis in FMF patients

alpha gene polymorphisms on development of amyloidosis in FMF patients. Turk J Pediatr 2003; 45: 198-202. The aim of this study was to examine whether polymorphisms at serum amyloid A (SAA) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) genes are associated with development of amyloidosis in familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) patients. Seventy-three FMF patients with amyloidosis and 100 other FMF patients without amyloidosis of known genotypes and 100 healthy control subjects were analyzed. There was a significant difference in the frequency of α/α genotype at the SAA1 locus between FMF patients with amyloidosis and controls and FMF patients without amyloidosis. The frequencies of the α/α genotype and α alleles at SAA1 locus were significantly higher in the FMF patients with amyloidosis. The frequencies of the α allele at SAA1 locus in FMF patients with amyloidosis, without amyloidosis and controls were 85.6%, 49.5 % and 42.5%, respectively. We demonstrated that α/α genotype at SAA1 gene might have modifying effects on the development of amyloidosis