The association between vascular endothelial growth factor gene polymorphisms and stroke: a meta‐analysis

OBJECTIVES Numerous studies have investigated the relationships between vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene polymorphisms and stroke. However, their findings remain controversial. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationships between VEGF gene polymorphisms and stroke by a meta-analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS The PubMed, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure database, Wanfang Chinese database, and VIP Chinese database were systemically searched. Data were extracted by two independent reviewers, and pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated. RESULTS Ten studies were included, including a total of 2331 cases and 1814 controls for +936C>T, 3040 cases and 2649 controls for -1154G>A. Under the dominant and recessive models, respectively, the overall ORs and 95% CIs of +936 T were 1.44, 1.09-1.90, P = 0.01 (1.53, 1.14-2.05, P = 0.005, in Asians) and 1.19, 0.85-1.65, P = 0.31, and the overall ORs and 95% CIs of -1154 A were 0.98, 0.87-1.10, P = 0.75 and 0.95, 0.82-1.11, P = 0.53. No publication bias was found in this meta-analysis. CONCLUSIONS The meta-analysis showed that +936C>T may be a risk factor for stroke, especially in Asians, while -1154G>A was not associated with stroke.