Vitamin D-binding protein gene polymorphisms and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease susceptibility: A meta-analysis.

The vitamin D-binding protein (VDBP) genetic polymorphisms have been associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A number of studies have been conducted to investigate the combined effects of the VDBP gene (GC) rs7041 and rs4588 polymorphisms on the COPD risk. However, the results obtained are inconclusive. The present meta-analysis aimed to investigate whether GC polymorphisms may be a potential risk factor for COPD. The Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Wanfang Database were searched from inception until June 1, 2014. The meta-analysis was performed using the STATA 12.0 software. Twelve case-control studies, including 2,937 subjects, met the inclusion criteria. Overall, a significantly increased risk was detected in populations of GC*1F homozygotes, whereas no associations between other GC polymorphisms and COPD risk were detected. According to ethnicity, the results demonstrated that the GC*1F homozygotes may be a risk factor for COPD and the GC*2 homozygotes may be a protective factor against COPD in the Asian population. However, similar associations were not observed among the Caucasian population. In conclusion, the current meta-analysis indicates that the GC*1F homozygotes may be a risk factor for COPD and the GC*2 homozygotes may be a protective factors against COPD in the Asian population.