Inflammatory cytokines are essential to the regulation of immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). We investigated intron 3 variable number of tandem repeats of interleukin (IL)-4, IL-6 (-572 G/C), and IL-10 (-627 C/A) polymorphisms in 50 children with acute ITP, 30 children with chronic TIP, and 100 healthy individuals by polymerase chain reaction-based restriction analysis. There were significant differences in RP1/RP2 genotype proportion (13.3% versus 33.0%, p=0.04, odds ratio= 0.3, 95% CI=0.1-1.0) and RP2 allelic frequency (6.7% versus 19.5%, p=0.03, odds ratio= 1.8, 95% CI=1.1-3.2) of IL-4 intron 3 and A/C genotype proportion (13.3% versus 44.0%, p=0.01, odds ratio= 0.2, 95% CI=0.1-0.7) of IL-10 (-627) between the childhood chronic ITP and controls, while no significant association was detected for the other polymorphisms of IL-4 intron 3, IL-6 (-572), and IL-10 (-627) among acute ITP, chronic ITP, and controls. This finding suggest IL-4 intron 3 and IL (-627) polymorphisms may be implicated the pathogenesis of ITP or may be responsible for modulating the immune response in the heterogeneous immune disease.
