[TNF-α, IL-10, and eNOS gene polymorphisms in patients with influenza A/H1N1 complicated by pneumonia].

AIM

To study the specific features of cytokine gene polymorphisms (such as TNF G308A, IL10 C592A, IL10 C819T, IL10 G1082A) and vascular tone regulatory gene polymorphism (eNOS C786T) in patients with influenza A/H1N1 complicated by pneumonia.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Patients treated for pneumonia in the presence of influenza A/H1N1, divided into 3 groups: 1) 37 patients with severe pneumonia; 2) 74 with mild pneumonia; and 3) 68 healthy individuals, were examined. Molecular genetic testing was made using a polymerase chain reaction technique. Serum TNFalpha, IL-10 and s-ICAM-1 concentrations were measured by enzyme immunoassay.

RESULTS

As compared to the control group, the patients with influenza-related pneumonia were more frequently homozygous for the G allele of the TNF 308 G/A polymorphism. The IL-10 G allele (1082 G/A) was considerably prevalent as homozygous carriage and the IL-10 G allele (592 G/A) was as a homozygous type to a greater extent. An abnormal zygote of the eNOS T/T (786 C/T) polymorphism was found to be prevalent among the patients with influenza-related pneumonia; on the contrary, there were mainly heterozygous C/T carriers in the control group. In the C/T genotype group, the level of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM-1) was lower than in other polymorphic variants (786 C/T). CONCLUSION; The study of the patients' genetic status in influenza A/H1N1 will be able to evaluate the severity of the disease and to predict possible complications.