| Background: Several studies have evaluated the association of killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR)
genes and susceptibility risk to hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection but the results are not conclusive and incongruous.
Therefore, we designed a systematic review and meta-analysis of case-control studies for clear understanding
of association between KIR family genes and HBV susceptibility.
Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in the main electronic databases of Scopus, MEDLINE, and
ISI Web of Science prior to January 2021. Pooled odds ratio (OR) and their corresponding 95% CI were used to
evaluate the strength of the association between KIR family genes and the risk of HBV infection.
Results: Overall, 12 studies, containing 2323 HBV subjects and 1319 controls, were included in the meta-analysis.
It was detected that KIR2DL2 (P = 0.032, OR = 0.071, CI = 0.52–0.97) and KIR2DS3 (P = 0.003, OR = 1.29, CI
= 1.09–1.53) genes were significantly associated with decreased and increased risk of HBV infection in the
overall population, respectively. In the subgroup analysis, KIR2DS2 (P = 0.046, OR = 3.17, CI = 1.01–9.88) and
KIR2DS3 (P = 0.004, OR = 1.31, CI = 1.08–1.57) genes were significantly associated with increased risk of HBV
infection in Asians.
Conclusions: This meta-analysis provides an understanding that KIR family genes are associated with susceptibility
to HBV infection in the overall population and Asians. |