Conclusion
The TNF-a -308 G/A and IL-6 -174 G/C gene polymorphisms and high levels of hs-CRP may be associated with the pathogenesis of IDCM in the study population.
Methods
IDCM cases (number [n]=250) and healthy controls (n=300) were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism.
Results
The TNF-a -308 variant genotypes GA and AA were more prevalent in patients compared with the control group (P < .0001). Similarly, the IL-6 -174 variant genotypes GC and CC showed a high prevalence in patients with IDCM compared with healthy controls (P=.0019). IDCM cases had a higher prevalence of the TNFa-308A (P < .0001) and the IL-6 -174C (P=.0008) mutant alleles than did the control group. The IDCM cases bearing the TNF-a-308 and IL-6 variant genotypes revealed elevated levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) when compared with the corresponding controls (P < .05).