Background
Hyperhomocysteinemia, a condition that is strongly determined by dietary intake of
B vitamins, has been suggested to be an independent risk factor for ischemic stroke
(IS). To test this hypothesis, we performed a meta-analysis to investigate the associations
between 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T gene polymorphism,
which plays a critical role in modulating plasma homocysteine concentrations, and
IS risk.
Materials and Methods
We searched case–control studies on the association between MTHFR C677T genetic polymorphism
and susceptibility to IS through PubMed, Embase, and Medline databases from January
2000 up to October 2014. The random-effects model was employed because moderate heterogeneity
across studies was observed, as assessed by I2 statistic. Publication bias was estimated using funnel plot and Egger's regression
test.
Results
A total of 22 case–control studies were included in the current meta-analysis. Significant
associations between MTHFR C677T genetic polymorphism and IS were found under the
dominant model (pooled odds ratio [OR] = 1.40, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.24-1.57),
the recessive model (pooled OR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.16-1.61), and the allele model (pooled
OR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.18-1.42).
Conclusions
The meta-analysis suggests that MTHFR C677T genetic polymorphism is significantly
associated with susceptibility to IS, which provides evidence supporting hyperhomocysteinemia
as a risk factor for stroke.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 05, 2016
Accepted:
November 30,
2015
Received in revised form:
November 24,
2015
Received:
October 16,
2015
Footnotes
Sources of funding: This research was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 81200914), the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Health of the People's Republic of China (Grant No. 2011BAI08B01), Beijing Biobank of Cerebral Vascular Disease (D131100005313003), the Program of Talents by Beijing Municipal (2010D003034000012), and Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Project (D131100002313003). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Identification
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2015.11.041
Copyright
© 2016 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
