miR-618 rs2682818 C>A polymorphism decreases Hirschsprung disease risk in Chinese children

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous non-coding small RNAs that play an important role in the development of many malignant tumors. In addition, recent studies have reported that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in the miRNA functional region was inextricably linked to tumor susceptibility. In the present study, we investigated the susceptibility between miR-618 rs2682818 C>A and Hirschsprung disease (HSCR) in the Southern Chinese population (1470 patients and 1473 controls). Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used for estimating the strength of interrelation between them. We found that the CA/AA genotypes of miR-618 rs2682818 were associated with a decreased risk of HSCR when compared with the CC genotype (OR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.72–0.99, P=0.032). Based on the stratified analysis of HSCR subtypes, the rs2682818 CA/AA genotypes were able to significantly lessen the risk of HSCR compared with CC genotype in patients with long-segment HSCR (adjusted OR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.52–0.93, P=0.013). In conclusion, our results indicated that the miR-618 rs2682818 C>A polymorphism was associated with a reduced risk of HSCR in Chinese children, especially in patients with long-segment HSCR (L-HSCR) subtype.