Polymorphisms of the <i>LTA</i> Gene May Contribute to the Risk of Myocardial Infarction: A Meta-Analysis

<div><p>Objective</p><p>The lymphotoxin-α (LTA), as one of the mediators of inflammation, may play an important role in the pathogenesis of myocardial infarction (MI). Genetic association studies (GAS) that have investigated the association between three common polymorphisms (A252G, G10A and C804A) of the <i>LTA</i> gene and susceptibility to MI have produced contradictory and inconclusive results. The aim of this meta-analysis is to provide a relatively comprehensive account of the association of these polymorphisms with susceptibility to MI.</p><p>Methods</p><p>A literature search for eligible GAS published before October 15, 2013 was conducted in the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) databases. We performed a meta-analysis of fifteen case-control studies with a total of 22,549 MI patients and 16,105 healthy controls.</p><p>Results</p><p>For <i>LTA</i> A252G, a borderline significant overall association was found, indicating that GG genotype may confer an increased susceptibility to MI compared to AA and AG genotypes. Based on an ethnicity stratification analysis, a significant association was observed in Asians, but not in Caucasians. For <i>LTA</i> G10A, no significant overall association was found. However, subgroup analysis based on ethnicity suggested that the 10A allele may confer a significant increased susceptibility to MI only in Asian populations. For <i>LTA</i> C804A, the combined results revealed a significantly increased susceptibility to MI for carriers of the 804A allele in both overall analysis and stratified analyses.</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>This meta-analysis shows that <i>LTA</i> C804A may be associated with an increased susceptibility to MI, whereas <i>LTA</i> A252G and G10A may confer a significant increased susceptibility to MI only in Asians. Thus, these polymorphisms of the <i>LTA</i> gene can probably be used with other genetic markers together to identify individuals at high susceptibility to MI especially in Asians.</p>