Cytokine Genetic Variants and Health-Related Quality of Life in Crohn's Disease: An Exploratory Study.

BACKGROUND

Crohn's disease (CD) is an inflammatory condition that has deleterious effects on patients' health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Demographic, clinical, and psychosocial factors contribute to variability in HRQoL; however, the influence of genetic variations related to altered inflammatory responses in individuals with CD is unknown. This exploratory study compared HRQoL scores across genotypes of functional genetic polymorphisms in cytokine candidate genes among individuals with CD.

METHOD

This study used data and blood samples collected in a parent study in 39 patients with CD aged 15-30 years. Participant reports of HRQoL were collected using the Shortened Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (SIBDQ). Genetic data were collected for 18 functional polymorphisms in eight cytokine candidate genes. SIBDQ scores were compared among genotypes using one-way, between-subjects analysis of variance.

RESULTS

SIBDQ scores differed across genotypes as follows: for rs4141134 scores differed for total SIBDQ ( = .004) and systemic ( = .011), emotion ( = .038), and social domains ( = .025); for rs1878672, scores differed for total SIBDQ ( = .031) and social domain ( = .008); for rs1056890, scores differed for social domain ( = .041); for -α rs1800629, scores differed for total SIBDQ ( = .001) and bowel ( = .026), systemic ( = .014), and social domains ( = .045).

CONCLUSIONS

Findings on differences in SIBDQ scores across functional genetic polymorphisms in cytokine genes suggest potential mechanisms that contribute to variability in HRQoL in adolescents and young adults with CD.