Multiple gene-to-gene interactions in children with sepsis: a combination of five gene variants predicts outcome of life-threatening sepsis

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the study was to identify the dependency structure of genetic variants that can influence the outcome for paediatric patients with sepsis. METHODS: We evaluated the role of single nucleotide polymorphisms for five genes: bactericidal permeability increasing protein (BPI; rs5743507), lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP; rs2232618), toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4; rs4986790), heat shock protein 70 (HSP 70; rs2227956), and interleukin 6 (IL-6; rs1800795) in 598 children aged 0 to 19 years that were admitted to a paediatric intensive care unit with fever, systemic inflammatory response syndrome, sepsis, severe sepsis, septic shock, or multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. A control group of 529 healthy individuals was included. Multi-way contingency tables were constructed and statistically evaluated using log-linear models. Typical gene combinations were found for both study groups. RESULTS: Detailed analyses of the five studied gene profiles revealed significant differences in sepsis survival. Stratification into high-risk, intermediate-risk, and low-risk groups of paediatric patients can predict the severity of sepsis. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms for five genes can be used as a predictor of sepsis outcome in children.