Association between monoamine oxidase A promoter polymorphism and the risk of sudden infant death syndrome: a meta-analysis

• Published in: International journal of legal medicine Vol. 135; no. 4; pp. 1179 - 1190
• Main Authors: Zhou, Qiaoxia, Gong, Daoyin, Zhang, Yu, Huang, Feijun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.07.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Alleles; Case-Control Studies; Etiology; Female; Forensic Medicine; Genotype; Health risks; Humans; Infant; Male; Males; Medical Law; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Meta-analysis; Minisatellite Repeats; Monoamine Oxidase - genetics; Original; Original Article; Oxidase; Polymorphism; Polymorphism, Genetic; Population genetics; Populations; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Risk management; SIDS; Sudden Infant Death - genetics; Sudden infant death syndrome; Whites - genetics; Sudden infant death syndrome; Serotonin; MAOA; Gene polymorphism; Meta-analysis
• ISSN: 0937-9827; 1437-1596
• DOI: 10.1007/s00414-020-02496-6

Introduction The etiology of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) remains an unsolved problem. The aim of this meta-analysis is to investigate the potential association between monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) promoter variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) polymorphism and SIDS risk. Methods A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted on studies from accessible electronic databases. Each VNTR variant was examined in each gender independently by comparing with the pooled results of other alleles. Results A total of six independent case–control studies including 1022 SIDS cases and 1839 controls were enrolled in this meta-analysis. In both of the whole populations and Caucasian populations, male infants with the low-MAOA-expression alleles (2R+3R) were found to exhibit a statistically significant increased risk of SIDS, whereas those with a 4R allele exhibited a reduced risk of SIDS. Besides, an increased risk of SIDS was detected in male Caucasian infants with 2R or 3R alleles. However, none of the allele or genotype variants was associated with SIDS in female victims. Conclusion In male Caucasian infants, the low expression of MAOA promoter VNTR alleles (2R and 3R) is associated with an increased risk of SIDS, and the existence of the 4R allele could be regarded as a protective factor.