Lack of an Association Between Vitamin D Receptor BsmI Gene Polymorphism and the Risk of End-Stage Renal Disease: A Meta-Analysis

Objective To evaluate the association between vitamin D receptor (VDR) BsmI gene polymorphism and the risk of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Methods All eligible studies were included in our meta-analysis of a search of the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases according to predefined criteria. The fixed-effects or, in the presence of heterogeneity, random-effects models were used to calculate the pooled odds ratio (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI). Materials Six studies including 863 patients and 1,063 controls were recruited for the analysis of the association between the VDR BsmI gene polymorphism and the risk of ESRD. Results The B allele/BB genotype was not associated with the ESRD risk in the overall population, Caucasians or Asians (overall population: p=0.492 and 0.382, Caucasians: p=0.765 and 0.522, Asians: p=0.607 and 0.481). The Bb/bb genotype was also not associated with the risk of ESRD in the overall population, Caucasians or Asians (overall population: p=0.556 and 0.166, Caucasians: p=0.770 and 0.965, Asians: p=0.411 and 0.098). The exclusion of any single study had little impact on the p value in the overall population. No evidence of publication bias was observed. Conclusion VDR BsmI gene polymorphism appears to not be associated with the risk of ESRD in the overall population, Caucasians or Asians. However, more studies should be performed in the future.