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Higher genetic susceptibility to inflammation in mild disease activity of systemic lupus erythematosus

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Abstract

In order to test the hypothesis that stratification of Mexican Modification of the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (MEX-SLEDAI) simplifies the genetic study of SLE, we evaluated the genetic susceptibility to inflammation and defects in clearance of immune complexes among SLE patients in Taiwan. SLE phenotypes were stratified according to the MEX-SLEDAI scores into two subgroups (≤10 and >10), and then according to renal disorder and neurological disorder, aiming to minimize any loss of power associated with disease heterogeneity. Upon stratification, IL1-β polymorphism and LTA were significantly associated with SLE within the MEX-SLEDAI ≤10 subgroup. When SLE patients were classified into two subgroups with or without renal disorder to stratify the genetic study, we could find that the stratification with renal disorder could partially confirm the hypothesis that stratification of MEX-SLEDAI score simplifies the genetic study of complex diseases such as SLE. So we concluded that in the mild disease state of SLE, stratification of disease phenotypes, especially IL1-β and LTA, according to MEX-SLEDAI scores could reveal new associations between candidate genes and disease activity index of SLE.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the National Clinical Core and National Genotyping Center at the Academia Sinica of Taiwan for specimen collection and genotyping. We also thank all the participants who gave us informed consent. This project was supported by NSC90-2320-B-320 and NGC-0003.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, 10672, Taiwan

    Li-Jen Tsai

  2. Department of Informatics, National Research Institute of Chinese Medicine, Taipei, 11267, Taiwan

    Sheng-Hsiung Hsiao

  3. Department of Medical Education & Research, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, 40407, Taiwan

    Jaw-Ji Tsai

  4. Department of Pediatrics, Veterans General Hospital-Taipei and Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, 50043, Taiwan

    Ching-Yuang Lin

  5. Department of Medical Research, E-Da Hospital / I-Shou University, Kaohsiung County, 82445, Taiwan

    Lih-Min Tsai

  6. Department of Internal Medicine, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, No. 160, Sect. 3, Chung-Kang Road, Taichung, 00407, Taiwan, Republic of China

    Joung-Liang Lan

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  1. Li-Jen Tsai
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  3. Jaw-Ji Tsai
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Correspondence to Joung-Liang Lan.

Additional information

Li-Jen Tsai and Sheng-Hsiung Hsiao have contributed equally to this study.

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Tsai, LJ., Hsiao, SH., Tsai, JJ. et al. Higher genetic susceptibility to inflammation in mild disease activity of systemic lupus erythematosus. Rheumatol Int 29, 1001–1011 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-009-0900-0

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