The Association between Interleukin-6 Gene Polymorphisms and Risk of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Meta-analysis with Trial Sequential Analysis.

Background: Molecular epidemiological studies have sought associations between interleukin-6 (IL-6) polymorphisms and the risk of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE); however, the results are controversial. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis to evaluate a more accurate estimation of the associations.

Methods: Published literatures reporting the relationships of two IL-6 polymorphisms (G-174C and G-572C) and SLE risk were retrieved from electronic databases such as PubMed and EMBASE.