Background: We evaluated the association of functional variants of IL-1 genes with the development of gastritis and precancerous lesions, which are known to be influenced by inflammatory response against Helicobacter pylori.
Methods: After upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy, 120 patients with gastritis were tested for H. pylori infection using rapid urease test, modified Giemsa staining and IgG anti-CagA ELISA. All patients and 243 healthy controls were genotyped for IL-1B (-511 C/T) and IL-IRN (VNTR) genes using PCR-RFLP/PCR.
Results: IL-1B: (-511 C/T) genotype/allele were not associated with gastritis. IL-1RN 1/2 genotype carriers had susceptibility to gastritis (p=0.025, OR=1.7). Individuals with the IL-1RN 1/1 genotype (p=0.05, OR=0.65) and IL-1B -511*T-IL-1RN *1 haplotype were at low risk for gastritis (p=0.043, OR=0.72). High secretor haplotype combinations (C1-/T2+, C1-T1+ and T1+/T2+) did not influence neutrophilic infiltration, glandular atrophy or intestinal metaplasia.
Conclusions: We identified that individuals with the IL-1RN 1/2 genotype had increased risk for gastritis. IL-1B -511*T-IL-1RN *1 (T1) haplotype carriers were at decreased risk for gastritis and no significant association was observed for precancerous lesions in North Indians.