| خلاصه مقاله | Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a heterogeneous autoimmune disease affecting several systems and organs in the body. The association of STAT4 transcription factor with SLE risk remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of STAT4 gene polymorphism (rs7574865) with the incidence of SLE. One hundred and sixty participants (80 patients with SLE and 80 healthy individuals) were included in the study. Gene analysis was performed by ARMS-PCR in peripheral blood samples. 57% (n = 45) of patients with SLE had SLEDAI above 6 and had active disease. In the SLE group, the frequency of G and T alleles were 81% and 19%, respectively. Moreover, 72.50% (n = 58) of patients carried the GG genotype, 17.5% (n =14) had the GT genotype, and 10.1% (n = 8) carried the TT genotype. There was no significant difference between allele frequency and genotypic distribution for rs7574865 polymorphism (p>0.05) between SLE and control groups. Significant differences were observed between the distribution of genotypes and clinical manifestations including leukopenia (p = 0.045), pulmonary (p = 0.011), and ophthalmic (p = 0.049) problems. The T allele with an odd ratio of 1.47 and confidence interval of 0.80-2.6 could increase the risk of SLE; however, it was not statistically significant (p=0.208). The distribution of GT and TT genotypes, carrying at least one T allele, was higher in SLE patients. However, there was no statistically significant relationship between the incidence of SLE and STAT4 polymorphism (rs7574865). |