Association between the IL-6 gene polymorphism and tuberculosis risk: a meta-analysis Hao Wang,1,* Caishuang Pang,2,* Ni Zeng,1 Chun Wan,1 Yongchun Shen,1 Fuqiang Wen1 1Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, and Division of Pulmonary Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy of China, Chengdu, China; 2Chongqing Cancer Institute & Hospital & Cancer Center, Chongqing, China *These authors contributed equally to this work Background: The gene polymorphism of interleukin-6 (IL-6) has been shown to be implicated in tuberculosis susceptibility in many studies, but with conflicting results. This study aimed to provide more accurate estimation of the relationship between IL-6 gene polymorphism and tuberculosis risk through a meta-analysis Method: A literature search was performed in PubMed, EMBASE, and other databases. Data were retrieved, and pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% CI were calculated. Statistical analyses were performed by using STATA 12.0. Results: Twelve publications with 2635 cases and 3049 controls were included. The pooled analysis demonstrated significant evidence of association between IL-6 (-174G/C) and low risk of tuberculosis in dominant model (CC+GC vs GG: OR