The CD14 gene -159C/T polymorphism and the risk of ischemic stroke: a meta-analysis.

Background: To investigate the association between the -159C/T polymorphism and ischemic stroke (IS).

Methods: Relevant literature was searched by retrieving EMBASE, Web of Science, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, and PubMed databases. R version 3.33 software was applied to calculate pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results: Seven qualified studies with a total of 2058 IS patients and 2123 controls were included. There was no significant association between the -159C/T polymorphism and IS risk in the total population (TT vs CC: OR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.58-1.20; CT vs CC: OR = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.82-1.12; dominant model: OR = 1.02, 95% CI = 0.80-1.30; recessive model: OR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.57-1.19). Similarly, subgroup analysis according to ethnicity and Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium also found no significant interrelation.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the -159C/T polymorphism does not contribute to the risk of IS. Well-designed studies with more subjects are required to further validate these results.