Because they have been described as strong risk factors for idiopathic recurrent pregnancy losses (RPLs), we assessed the association between the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) C677T and A1298C and hyperhomocysteinemia in Tunisian women with idiopathic RPL. Study subjects comprised 200 patients with more than three consecutive RPLs, and 200 age-matched parous control women. C677T and A1298C SNPs were analyzed by PCR-RFLP analysis, and fasting serum homocysteine was measured with ELISA. The frequency of MTHFR 677T/T (30.0 vs 7.0%) and 1298C/C (13.5 vs 4.0%) genotypes was significantly higher in patients. While it was similar among patients and controls (P 5 0.095), higher homocysteine was seen with the T/T (but not 1298A/C and 1298C/C) genotype among patients and controls compared with non-T/T carriers (P < 0.05), and in patients vs controls. Higher prevalence of MTHFR 677T/T was seen in late (P < 0.05) and early-late (P < 0.001) RPL, while higher prevalence of 1298C/C genotype was seen only in earlylate RPL (P < 0.001), and the prevalence of double heterozygotes was statistically not significant between patients and controls (P 5 0.10; odds ratio 5 2.73). Logistic regression analysis showed that, after adjusting for all variables, homozygosity for MTHFR C677T was associated with late (P < 0.001), and combined early-late (P < 0.001), while homozygosity for A1298C was associated only with combined early-late (P 5 0.026), as was secondary-level education, which was associated with early (P 5 0.005), late (P 5 0.026) and combined early-late (P 5 0.004) abortions. Homozygosity for MTHFR C677T (late and early-late) and A1298C (early-late) are risk factor for RPLs, irrespectively of total homocysteine levels.

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Background: Candidate gene and genome-wide association studies have both reproducibly identified several common Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) that confer type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk in European populations. Our aim was to evaluate the contribution to T2D of five of these established T2D-associated loci in the Arabic population from Tunisia.