Programmed cell death 1 polymorphism in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and its impact on disease activity

Aim: This study aimed to assess the role of the single nucleotide polymorphism PD-1.5 C/T (7209C/T) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) development and its effect on disease activity in the Egyptian population.Material and Methods: A case-control study was done on 240 patients diagnosed with RA and 200 age-matched healthy individuals, which considered the control group.The PD-1.5 (7209 C/T) polymorphism was analyzed by RFLP-PCR.Results: When comparing RA patients to controls, there was a higher incidence of 7209 TT genotype.(P =0.000, OR (95% CI) =14(4-50).The 7209 T allele was highly represented in the RA group as compared to the healthy control group (P =0.0001, OR (95% CI) =2.1(1.5-3.2).We found that the 7209 TT genotype was linked to more remission and mild state disease activity (P=0.004).Discussion: PD-1.5 TT genotype and T allele were associated with RA in Egyptians.