We performed a genetic association analysis in several KD subgroups categorized by clinical characteristics using the KD-associated variants of the B lymphoid tyrosine kinase (<i>BLK</i>; rs6993775) and Fc gamma receptor II a (<i>FCGR2A</i>; rs1801274) in a large number of case (n=1,011) and control (n=4,533) samples.
Now, we show in 1,028 European KD patients that the <i>FCGR2C</i>-ORF haplotype, although nearly absent in Asians, was more strongly associated with susceptibility to KD than rs1801274 in Europeans.
In a meta-analysis with 1,461 cases and 5,302 controls, a very strong association of KD with the nonsynonymous SNP rs1801274 (p.His167Arg, previously assigned as p.His131Arg) in FCGR2A was confirmed in males (OR = 1.48, P = 1.43 × 10-7), but not in the females (OR = 1.17, P = 0.055).
Compared with their respective wild type counterparts, rs1801274 AG+GG genotypes and rs3818298 TC+CC genotypes were nominally associated with the reduced risk of KD (OR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.59-0.99, P = 0.045; OR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.56-0.98, P = 0.038).
We also replicated the association of a functional SNP of FCGR2A (rs1801274, P = 1.6 × 10(-6)) identified in a recently reported GWAS of Kawasaki disease.