Objective: To investigate the possible association between the recently described interleukin 6 (IL-6) promoter polymorphisms at position -174, and susceptibility to ankylosing spondylitis (AS).
Methods: Ninety-two patients with AS, 157 healthy controls, and an additional group of 52 HLA-B27 positive unrelated individuals were included in this study. The -174 polymorphic site in the promoter region of IL-6 gene was typed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism.
Results: No statistically significant differences were observed when IL-6 promoter genotype and allele distribution between patients with AS and healthy controls were compared.
Conclusion: Our results suggest the -174 IL-6 polymorphism does not play an important role in susceptibility to AS. Larger studies are needed to provide more conclusive evidence on the role of -174 IL-6 polymorphism in AS.