Variation at interleukin-6 receptor gene is associated to joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) cytokine signaling is key in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) pathophysiology. Blocking IL-6 receptor (IL6R) has proven to be a highly effective treatment to prevent joint damage. This study was performed to investigate the association between the genetic variation at IL6R gene and the severity of joint damage in RA. IL6R gene tagging SNPs (n = 5) were genotyped in a discovery group of 527 RA patients from 5 different university hospitals from Spain. For each marker, a linear regression analysis was performed using an additive model and adjusting for the years of evolution of the... Mehr ...