Significant Association of the Gene Polymorphism () and Opioid Use Disorder in Asian Populations, but not Caucasian Populations: A Meta-analysis.

Previous studies have reported on the association between the polymorphism in the () gene and opioid use disorder (OUD) with inconsistent outcomes. The goal of this study was to examine the correlation of the polymorphism and OUD using a meta-analysis approach. Six electronic databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Wanfang and CNKI, were searched thoroughly for relevant studies on the association of the polymorphism and OUD up to September, 2021. Summary odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were utilized to test the association. Statistical analyses was performed using RevMan 5.3 software. Eleven studies with 13 independent cohorts encompassing 2538 cases and 2519 controls were included in this study. In the overall analysis, the polymorphism was not associated with OUD susceptibility. Subgroup analyses suggested that was significantly correlated with OUD in Asian populations: VV vs. MM, OR = 1.46, 95% CI 1.05-2.02,  = 0.02; VM vs. MM, OR = 1.44, 95% CI 1.04-2.00,  = 0.03; VV+VM vs. MM, OR = 1.45, 95% CI 1.07-1.99,  = 0.02. However, the pooled data did not suggest any significant association in the Caucasian population. This meta-analysis supports a significant association between the polymorphism and predisposition to OUD in Asians, carriers of VV and VM genotypes appear to have an increased susceptibility to OUD. However, the association does not exist in Caucasians.