CD14 and TNFα promoter polymorphisms in patients with acute arthritis

Abstract
To examine CD14 and TNFalpha gene polymorphisms in early arthritis in relation to clinical outcome. We studied 141 Caucasians who had had early arthritis 10 to 38 years earlier. We analysed CD14 (-159) and TNFalpha (-238, -308, -376) polymorphisms using a novel cycle minisequencing method. DNA pools from 370 Caucasian blood donors served as controls. CD14 (-159)C-->T allele frequencies were comparable among patients and controls (39% vs 40%). Fifty men and 42 women had recovered while 24 men and six women had chronic spondyloarthropathy (SpA). Mutant T allele frequency was higher in the chronic SpA group than in the recovered group in women (75% vs 32%, relative risk 1.3, 95% confidence limit 1.1 to 1.6, P = 0.011), but not in men (38% vs 44%). All female patients with chronic SpA had CD14 (-159)T allele and none had a possibly protective TNFalpha (-308)G-->A allele. Possession of CD14 (-159)T allele does not increase risk of ReA but may increase susceptibility of female patients to development of chronic SpA.