The association of the PCSK9 rs562556 polymorphism with serum lipids level: a meta-analysis

Background Studies had investigated the associations between proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 SNP rs562556 and serum lipids levels and response to statin treatment, however, the results remained inconclusive. We conducted this meta-analysis to elucidate the relationship of rs562556 and serum lipids levels. Methods All eligible studies met the inclusion criteria were retrieved from multiple databases. Relative data were extracted from each study. Review Manager (version 5.3.5) and STATA 12.0 software was used to perform this meta-analysis. Pooled standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% CI was employed to evaluate the association of rs562556 with serum lipids levels. Results A total of 7 eligible articles involving 4742 subjects were included in the final meta-analysis. The results revealed that the G carriers had lower levels of total cholesterol (SMD: 0.14, 95% Cl: 0.06–0.23, P = 0.001) and LDL-C(SMD: 0.13, 95% Cl: -0.55-0.22, P = 0.002) than the non-carriers. The statistical results also illustrated that the G carriers had lower relative risk (SMD: 1.38, 95% Cl: 1.02–1.85, P = 0.003) than the non-carriers. Conclusions The results of the current meta-analysis for the first time indicated the relevance of rs562556 and lower serum cholesterol levels.