Influence of polymorphisms in the gene on allograft rejection after kidney transplantation: a meta-analysis.

Reported associations of allograft rejection in kidney transplant patients with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been inconsistent between studies, which prompted a meta-analysis to obtain more precise estimates. Using the PICO elements, kidney transplant patients (P) were compared by genotype data between rejectors (I) and non-rejectors (C) in order to determine the risk of allograft rejection (O) attributed to the SNPs. Literature search of four databases yielded seven articles. To calculate risks for allograft rejection, four SNPs were examined. Using the allele-genotype model we compared the variant ( ) with the wild-type ( ) and heterozygous ( - ) alleles. Meta-analysis treatments included outlier and subgroup analyses, the latter was based on ethnicity (Indians/Caucasians) and rejection type (acute/chronic). Multiple comparisons were corrected with the Bonferroni test. Five highly significant outcomes (P < 0.01) survived Bonferroni correction, one of which showed reduced risk for the allele (OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.45-0.82). The remaining four indicated increased risk for the allele where the chronic rejection (OR 2.10, 95% CI 1.36-3.24) and Indian (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.13-1.84) subgroups were accorded susceptibility status. Risk associations for renal allograft rejection were increased and reduced on account of the and alleles, respectively. These findings could render the polymorphisms useful in the clinical genetics of kidney transplantation.