BACKGROUND: Previous studies concerning the association between methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T polymorphism and risk of intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) reported conflicting results. A meta-analysis of published studies was performed to allow a more reliable estimate of this association.METHODS: Relevant studies concerning the association between MTHFR C677T polymorphism and risk of ICH were included into this meta-analysis. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were determined for this gene-disease association using fixed or random effect models.RESULTS: Finally, 16 studies with a total of 1828 cases and 4067 controls were included. Meta-analyses of a total of 16 studies showed that there was an obvious association of MTHFR 677T allele with risk of ICH under all four comparison models (OR(T vs. C)=1.38, 95% CI 1.17-1.62, P<0.001; OR(TT vs. CC)=1.90 95% CI 1.42-2.55, P<0.001; OR(TT vs. TC/CC)=1.38 95% CI 1.20-1.59, P<0.001; OR(TT/TC vs. CC)=1.41 95% CI 1.12-1.78, P=0.003). Besides, both subgroup analyses and sensitivity analysis further identified the association above.CONCLUSION: The MTHFR 677T allele is associated with risk of ICH, and individuals with TT genotype have an obviously higher risk of ICH than those with the CC genotype.
Aged Alleles