Association of interleukin-10 gene G-1082A polymorphism with the progression of primary glomerulonephritis

Abstract

Background. Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is a cytokine with immunosuppressive properties. We evaluated the influence of G-1082A polymorphism in the IL-10 gene promoter, which has been associated with modified IL-10 production, on the two most common forms of primary glomerulonephritis: IgA nephropathy (IgAN) and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). Methods. We studied Caucasian patients (N = 191) with biopsy-proven glomerulonephritis (IgAN: N = 123, FSGS: N = 68) followed-up for 6.5 ± 5.5 years. Patients were classified according to the slope of reciprocal serum creatinine (≥ or < 0.05 for FSGS). Patients with the GA/AA genotypes showed a worse outcome in the Kaplan-Meier analysis of renal survival (P < 0.05 for both IgAN and FSGS). The IL-10 polymorphism remained an independent risk factor for progression in multivariate analysis (Cox regression model, P < 0.05 for IgAN and FSGS). Conclusion. Our results suggest that IL-10 gene G-1082A polymorphism is an important marker of progression in patients with IgAN and FSGS.