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Recent study in a group of German patients with SSc has implicated the SNP in the MCP-1 gene (-2518 A to G) as a factor of susceptibility to SSc. Reflecting the need for replication of genetic association studies, we investigated if this SNP is associated with SSc in another Caucasian population. MCP-1 -2518 A/G genotypes were determined using PCR-SSP in 46 SSc patients and in 449 healthy subjects, all unrelated and of Slovak (Slavonic) origin. The distribution of MCP-1 -2518 A/G genotypes complied with the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium both in patient and healthy control groups. There was no difference in MCP-1 -2518*G allele frequency between SSc patients and healthy subjects (patients: 0.23; controls: 0.24; P > .05). Furthermore, MCP-1 -2518 GG homozygotes were similarly represented among SSc patients and healthy subjects (P > .05). The association of MCP-1 -2518 A/G SNP with SSc observed originally in German population was not replicated in the Slovak population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]