Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40134552›Full record

ArticleJournal of rheumatic diseases2025

Circulating VEGF levels and genetic polymorphisms in Behçet's disease: a meta-analysis.

Young Ho Lee, Gwan Gyu Song

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of rheumatic diseases, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Young Ho LeeDepartment of Rheumatology, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4213-1909
Gwan Gyu SongDepartment of Rheumatology, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3492-2225

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to explore the relationship between circulating vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels and Behçet's disease (BD), as well as to examine the association between VEGF gene polymorphisms and BD. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive search of the MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science databases to identify relevant research articles. A meta-analysis was performed to compare serum or plasma VEGF levels in BD patients with those in control groups. Additionally, we evaluated the potential associations between BD susceptibility and specific VEGF polymorphisms, namely -634 C/G, +936 C/T, and the 18 bp insertion/deletion (I/D) at -2549. Results: The analysis included 15 studies with a total of 1,020 BD patients and 1,031 controls. BD patients exhibited significantly higher circulating VEGF levels compared to controls (standardized mean difference [SMD]=1.726, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.030~2.421, p<0.001). Elevated VEGF levels were noted among BD patients from European and Arab populations. Subgroup analysis further confirmed the increase in VEGF levels across different data types and sample sizes. Patients with active BD had higher VEGF levels than those with inactive BD (SMD=0.635, 95% CI=0.092~1.177, p=0.022). However, no significant association was found between BD and the VEGF -634 C allele (odds ratio=1.023, 95% CI=0.707~1.481, p=0.904). Similarly, no association was detected between BD and the VEGF +936 C/T or 18 bp I/D at -2549 polymorphisms. Conclusion: Our meta-analysis showed a strong association between elevated circulating VEGF levels and BD. However, the VEGF polymorphisms examined in this study do not appear to be associated with susceptibility to BD.

Indexed as

Behçet’s diseaseMeta-analysisPolymorphismVascular endothelial growth factor

Identifiers

PMID40134552
PMCPMC11931276

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.