Two common polymorphisms in the promoter of the IL-6 encoding gene IL6, -174G>C (rs1800795) and -573G>C (rs1800796), have been investigated for association with type 2 diabetes in numerous studies but with results that have been largely equivocal.
This study examined a possible association of the G>C polymorphism at nucleotide -174 in the promoter region of the interleukin-6 (IL-6) gene (rs1800795) with the prevalence of diabetic complications in 235 patients with type 1 and 498 patients with type 2 diabetes.
Recent studies identified a significant interaction between body mass index (BMI) and the rs1800795 polymorphism of the interleukin-6 gene that influences both IR and onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus, with obese individuals homozygous for the C allele demonstrating the highest level of IR and greatest risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Several studies have investigated associations between the -174G>C single nucleotide polymorphism (rs1800795) of the IL6 gene and phenotypes related to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) but presented inconsistent results.
IL-6 genotypes of rs1800795 GC and rs1800796 GG might point to a relatively high risk for T2D patients suffering from PDR in a Chinese population and they were associated with elevation of IL-6 expression in both mRNA and protein.