Liakouli V, Manetti M, Pacini A et al.
University of L’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy.
Ann Rheum Dis 2009;68:584–90.
Editor’s note: There is increasing evidence that autoimmune diseases are complex polygenic disorders that result from interactions between genetic and environmental factors. One gene that may play a role in such conditions is the apoptosis regulator
FAS. Several studies indicate that the
FAS–670G>A polymorphism is associated with a number of autoimmune diseases. In particular, it has been shown that this single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) confers susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus, multiple sclerosis, and autoimmune hepatitis. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the role of this SNP in influencing the susceptibility, clinical features, and severity of systemic sclerosis (SSc).