Interleukin-1α,Interleukin-1β,and Interleukin-1Ra Polymorphisms in Febrile Seizures

Abstract

Febrile seizures are the most common form of childhood seizures. The exact mechanism promoting convulsions during a common febrile illness remains unknown, but it is accepted that genetic influences are likely to account for at least some of the cases. Previous studies reported high interleukin-1β levels in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with febrile seizures. Recently, an association between a regulatory polymorphism in the genes encoding interleukin-1β and interleukin-1Ra and febrile seizures was reported. In this study, we attempted to confirm these findings. We analyzed the cytokine gene polymorphisms of interleukin-1β, interleukin-1α, and interleukin-1Ra of 73 children with febrile seizure and 152 healthy controls. The distribution of interleukin-1β —511, interleukin-1α —889, and interleukin-1Ra genotypes and alleles did not differ significantly between cases and controls. Our data suggest that the studied gene polymorphisms of interleukin-1β, interleukin-1α, and interleukin-1Ra do not have a significant role in the pathogenesis of febrile seizures. (J Child Neurol 2005;20:565—568).

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