Weak association between the interleukin-8 rs4073 polymorphism and acute pancreatitis: a cumulative meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Several studies have been performed to investigate the associations between interleukin (IL)-8 rs4073 polymorphism and acute pancreatitis (AP), but the results are inconclusive. We conducted this cumulative meta-analysis for a precise estimate of the relationship between IL-8 rs4073 polymorphism and acute pancreatitis. METHODS: We searched the electronic databases for relevant studies. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to evaluate the strength of the associations. For a better presentation of how the pooled ORs changed as updated evidence accumulated, we used forest plots from a cumulative meta-analysis method. RESULTS: Ten studies involving 1646 AP patients and 1816 controls were finally included in this meta-analysis. Cumulative meta-analyses indicated there is a consistent trend toward association after the initial discovery. Under the allelic, dominant, recessive and homozygous models, the pooled ORs were 1.265 (1.147–1.395, p < 0.001), 1.304 (1.127–1.508, p < 0.001), 1.431 (1.203–1.702, p < 0.001), and 1.634 (1.334–2.001, p < 0.001), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis demonstrated a suggestive result that people who carried the risk A allele of the IL-8 rs4073 polymorphism may be more sensitive to acute pancreatitis. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12881-019-0861-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.