The Impact of Genetic Variations on Immune Dysregulation and Inflammatory Response in Pneumonia

Naji Hamad, Oras; Khalid Saddam, Nusaibah; Naji Hamad, Manar

doi:10.30491/jabr.2026.574287.1982

The Impact of Genetic Variations on Immune Dysregulation and Inflammatory Response in Pneumonia

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Oras Naji Hamad ¹

Nusaibah Khalid Saddam ¹^{, 2}

Manar Naji Hamad ³

¹ Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, University of Misan, Maysan, Iraq

² Department of Medical Microbiology, College of Medicine, University of Misan, Maysan, Iraq

³ Department of Science, College of Basic Education, Wasit University, Kut, Iraq

10.30491/jabr.2026.574287.1982

Abstract

Introduction: Pneumonia remains an important medical issue, associated with various illnesses and deaths, and is strongly dependent on host defense mechanisms. Polymorphisms in immune-regulating genes may affect the production and secretion of certain cytokines, thereby increasing the inflammatory response during an infection. This study aimed to establish the association between inflammatory cytokines, immune-related polymorphisms, and inflammatory marker expression in patients with pneumonia.
Materials and Methods: One hundred twenty-two patients with pneumonia and thirty healthy controls were enrolled at Baghdad Medical City Teaching Hospital from March to August 2025. Their serum cytokine and inflammatory marker levels were determined using ELISA. Polymorphisms in the genes IL6, IL10, TLR4, NLRP3, IFN-γ, and CRP were studied using PCR and qPCR.
Results: Pneumonia patients (n = 122) had significantly increased IL-6 (118.4 ± 35.7 vs. 16.2 ± 5.9 pg/ml), TNF-α (92.5 ± 28.6 vs. 14.8 ± 4.5 pg/ml), and CRP levels (76.2 ± 20.5 vs. 6.1 ± 3.0 mg/L) compared to controls (n = 30; all p < 0.001) and negative correlations between these mediators and IL-10 (r = -0.45).
Conclusions: The immune and inflammatory responses in the patients' bodies are shown to become extensively unregulated and overactive as a result of IL6 and TLR4 cytokine expression and production, which are directly related to the severity of pneumonia.

Keywords

Pneumonia

Immune Response

Inflammation

Cytokines, Polymorphism