Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Asthma is a common chronic condition in children. Several studies have explored the potential association between IL10 rs1800896 polymorphism and the risk of asthma in children, but the findings have been inconsistent. To address these discrepancies, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the relationship between IL10 rs1800896 polymorphisms and the susceptibility to pediatric asthma. METHODS: A literature search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and CNKI databases to identify eligible studies through April 2022. Meta-analysis was then performed using five genetic models: dominant, recessive, homozygous, heterozygous, and allele. RESULTS: A total of 12 studies comprising 1645 cases along with 1447 controls were included in this meta-analysis. It was found that rs1800896 was not associated significantly with susceptibility to childhood asthma in all genetic models investigated. Subgroup analysis based on the ethnic background of the subjects revealed that rs1800896 was significantly linked to a lower risk of pediatric asthma among Asians in the homozygous model (OR = 0.311, 95% CI = 0.152-0.637, P = 0.001) and in the recessive model (OR = 0.585, 95% CI = 0.405-0.846, P = 0.004), whereas no significant relationship was observed in Egyptians (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, IL10 rs1800896 polymorphism may be useful as a predictive marker for childhood asthma in Asians, although further studies are needed to validate the study results.