Vitamin D receptor genetic polymorphisms and tuberculosis among Chinese Han ethnic group

In epidemiological studies, tuberculosis (TB) appears intimately with vitamin D insufficiency whereas its relationship with vitamin D receptor (VDR) polymorphism caused by radical difference remains unspecified. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between vitamin D genetic polymorphism and tuberculosis in Han ethnic group.Meta-analysis was adopted in the synthetic quantitative analysis of documents home and abroad on the relationship between vitamin D genetic polymorphisms and tuberculosis, which were openly published during June 2000 to January 2010. Random effect model and fixed effect model analyses were used to calculate the incorporated odds ratio (OR) based on the heterogeneity test data.A total of 6 eligible studies were included in this analysis. The FokI-ff genotype showed a significant marginal association (Fixed effect model: OR 1.91, 95%CI 1.44-2.52; Random effect model: OR 1.91, 95%CI 0.94-3.88), yet TaqI polymorphisms was not significantly related to TB.The interaction between FoKI genotype polymorphism and TB observed demonstrates that vitamin D deficiency might exist as a risk factor during the development of TB in Han ethnic group and more evidences needed to validate the conclusion.