Association of interleukin-6 rs1800796 polymorphism with keloid susceptibility and severity in a Vietnamese population: a case-control study

Keloids are fibroproliferative skin tumors characterized by excessive collagen deposition and persistent inflammation. Interleukin (IL)-6 plays a key role in wound healing and fibrosis, and promoter polymorphisms of the IL-6 gene have been implicated in keloid susceptibility in several populations. However, data on Vietnamese patients remain limited. We conducted a case-control study including 47 patients with clinically diagnosed keloids and 43 age- and sex-matched healthy controls to investigate the association between the IL-6 rs1800796 (−572 C>G) polymorphism and both keloid susceptibility and scar severity. Genotyping was performed using allele-specific oligonucleotide – polymerase chain reaction (ASO-PCR). Scar severity was assessed using the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS). The CG genotype and G allele were significantly more frequent in patients with keloid than in controls. Carriers of the G allele demonstrated an increased risk of keloid formation and exhibited progressively higher VSS scores compared with CC homozygotes. These findings suggest that the IL-6 rs1800796 G allele is associated with increased susceptibility to keloids and greater scar severity in Vietnamese patients.