Slc6a4gene L/S Polymorphism And Susceptibility To Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: A Meta-Analysis

Objective To investigate the association between the solute carrier family 6 member 4 (SLC6A4) gene L/S polymorphism and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Methods The relevant literature was retrieved from the PubMed (R) database and the data were extracted. STATA (R) version 12.0 software was used to calculate pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results Eight case-control studies qualified for inclusion in the meta-analysis. These studies included 1215 cases and 936 control subjects. There was no significant association between theSLC6A4gene L/S polymorphism and PAH risk in the total population (LL versus SS: OR 1.83, 95% CI 0.95, 3.51; LS versus SS: OR 1.37, 95% CI 0.93, 2.02; dominant model: OR 1.38, 95% CI 0.97, 1.97; recessive model: OR 1.54, 95% CI 0.84, 2.83). Subgroup analysis based on study quality scores and Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium also showed no significant association. Conclusion The findings of this meta-analysis suggest that theSLC6A4gene L/S polymorphism is unlikely to be related to PAH risk. Well-designed studies with more participants will be required to validate these results.