It is suggested that cytokine polymorphisms of TNF-α (-238, -308) and IL-1RA (+2018) are associated with the risk of silicosis in the Chinese workers exposed to silica particles.
We recently published a case-control study that evaluated the interaction between silica exposure and minor variants in the genes coding for interleukin-1alpha (IL-1alpha), interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) as risk factors associated with silicosis, a fibrotic lung disease.
This is the first report showing an association between the IL-1RA (+ 2018) polymorphism and silicosis, and suggests that this polymorphism may confer increased risk for the development of the disease.