doi: 10.1161/01.STR.0000204061.73332.aa
(Stroke. 2006;37:761.)
© 2006 American Heart Association, Inc.
Letters to the Editor |
Heterogeneity of Association Between MTHFR and Stroke Among European Regions: Additional Population Studies Are Needed in Italy
Department of Brain Aging and Laboratories of Cytogenetics and Biochemistry, IRCCS, Oasi Maria S.S., Institute for Research on Mental Retardation and Brain Aging, Troina (EN), Italy
Inserm U-724, Cellular and Molecular Pathology in Nutrition, Faculté de Médecine, University Henry Poincaré of Nancy, Nancy-Vandoeuvre, France
To the Editor:
The recent meta-analysis of Cronin et al1 examined the association between the MTHFR C677T polymorphism, the strongest genetic determinant of moderate hyperhomocysteinemia, and ischemic stroke. These authors considered 31 studies, including 15 from Europe, and concluded for the existence of an overall weak and dose allele-dependent association; in the European area, they reported a lack of association between the MTHFR C677T polymorphism and ischemic stroke in Northern and Central Europe, whereas the MTHFR C677T polymorphism was surprisingly a significant risk factor for ischemic stroke in Italy. The same authors1 suggested that it was important to investigate whether this finding was attributable to population differences in T allele frequency, folate status, or other genetic or environmental influences. In fact, the frequency of MTHFR 677T allele is higher in Italy than in Central and Northern Europe, and the same gradient is observed for the dietary intake and status of folate.2 Therefore, the significant association observed by Cronin et al1 in Italy should be regarded as paradoxical if one considers that adequate folate dietary intake neutralizes the phenotypic influence of MTHFR on homocysteine.2 In fact, 2 of the 4 Italian populations that were included in the meta-analysis of Cronin et al1 were different for age and cause of stroke from those recruited in the other areas of Europe; this makes the paradox reported by Cronin et al questionable. Pezzini et al3 found a significant association of MTHFR 677TT with patients with spontaneous cervical artery dissection (CAD), a very particular cause of stroke, but not with those with non-CAD ischemic stroke, whereas Gallai et al4 found no association in younger patients with spontaneous CAD. A third study found no association between 677TT genotype and stroke,5 whereas in another study, Margaglione et al6 found only a weak association with premature stroke (age <50), after multivariate adjustment (P=0.0486). We have evaluated the association between MTHFR 677TT C677T polymorphism and ischemic cerebrovascular disease in 131 patients from Southern Italy (Sicily) with a mean age of 76.2 years (51.9% males), compared with 118 sex- and age-matched controls (mean age 75.9 years, P=0.6032, 50.8% males, P=0.8672). The 677T allele frequency was comparable in both groups (patients: 0.439 [95% CI, 0.380 to 0.499], controls: 0.432 [95% CI, 0.371 to 0.496]; P=0.8798) and no difference of the 677TT genotype frequency was observed (patients: 0.229 [95% CI, 0.165 to 0.308], controls: 0.169 [95% CI, 0.112 to 0.247]; P=0.2418). In our opinion, the small number of studies on the association between homocysteine or MTHFR and stroke needs to be increased, taking into consideration other nutritional and genetic determinants of homocysteine, folate and vitamin B12 in particular, before a definitive conclusion based on meta-analyses can be reached. This will be required for discussing the beneficial role of folate supplementation. Indeed, if folate intake in Europe does explain the heterogeneity of the associations, folic acid as a preventive intervention would be unlikely to have any influence in the regions where there is no MTHFR-vascular disease association, as recently suggested by Lewis et al for coronary artery disease.7
References
1. Cronin S, Furie K, Kelly P. Dose-related association of MTHFR 677T allele with risk of ischemic stroke: evidence from a cumulative meta-analysis. Stroke. 2005; 36: 1581–1587.
2. Guéant JL, Guéant-Rodriguez RM, Anello G, Bosco P, Brunaud L, Romano C, Ferri R, Romano A, Candito M, Namour B. Genetic determinants of folate and vitamin B12 metabolism: a common pathway in neural tube defect and Down syndrome? Clin Chem Lab Med. 2003; 41: 1473–1477.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
3. Pezzini A, Del Zotto E, Archetti S, Negrini R, Bani P, Albertini A, Grassi M, Assanelli D, Gasparotti R, Vignolo LA, Magoni M, Padovani A. Plasma homocysteine concentration, C677T MTHFR genotype and 844ins68bp CBS genotype in young adults with spontaneous cervical artery dissection and atherothrombotic stroke. Stroke. 2002; 33: 664–669.
4. Gallai V, Caso V, Paciaroni M, Cardaioli G, Arning E, Bottiglieri T, Parnetti L. Mild hyperhomocyst(e)inemia: a possible risk factor for cervical artery dissection. Stroke. 2001; 32: 714–718.
5. Duca F, Sacchi E, Tagliabue L, Tajoli E. C677T methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) mutation in stroke. Thromb Haemost. 1997; 78 (suppl): 102. Abstract.
6. Margaglione M, D’Andrea G, Giuliani N, Brancaccio V, De Lucia D, Grandone E, De Stefano V, Tonali PA, Di Minno G. Inherited prothrombotic condidions and premature ischemic stroke: sex difference in the association with factor V Leiden. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 1999; 19: 1751–1756.
7. Lewis SJ, Ebrahim S, Smith GD. Meta-analysis of MTHFR 677C
T polymorphism and coronary heart disease: does totality of evidence support causal role for homocysteine and preventive potential of folate? BMJ. 2005; 331: 1053.
Neurovascular Clinical Science Unit, Department of Neurology, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
Response:
We thank Dr Bosco and colleagues for their interest in our study. Although subgroup analyses of meta-analyses of stroke risk associated with genetic polymorphisms may yield useful hypotheses-generating information for future studies, we again caution that such analyses should be considered exploratory and that the lower numbers within individual subgroups may lead to loss of power. As outlined in our original publication, our subgroup analyses further included studies which reported the association of MTHFR TT genotype only when compared with a combined CT and CC genotype control group, from which allele-specific information could not be gleaned for the overall allele-dose analysis. In addition to those 4 studies outlined above, our Italian group further included a population from Soriente et al.1 In total, there were 523 cases and 1507 controls from Italy. Of these cases, only 50 (9.5%) had spontaneous cervical artery dissection as the underlying stroke mechanism. When these are excluded, the risk estimate for ischemic stroke associated with the MTHFR TT genotype in the Italian subgroup is 1.24 (95% CI, 0.96 to 1.61), which is consistent with our findings in the overall group. We agree that there is a need for further study in individual racial and ethnic subgroups.
We further suggest that future analyses of stroke risk associated with the 677T allele should detail their findings in the context of stroke mechanism and serum homocysteine and folate levels. Because of few reports of folate levels and stroke subtype, it was not possible from available data to fully examine their influence on individual populations under study. Our overall findings in almost 15 000 subjects suggest a modest elevation of risk for MTHFR T allele homozygotes and heterozygotes. We agree that large prospective population-based studies and clinical trials in homocysteine-lowering therapies are needed to definitively resolve the relationships between 677T allele, homocysteine, and vascular risk. Pending the availability of such data, meta-analyses remain a useful, albeit imperfect, approach to addressing some of the limitations of smaller retrospective studies. We await the results of ongoing trials with interest.
References
1. Soriente L, Coppola A, Madonna P, Cerbone AM, Di Minno G, Orefice G, D’Angelo A. Homozygous C677T mutation of the 5,10 methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene and hyperhomocysteinemia in Italian patients with a history of early-onset ischemic stroke. Stroke. 1998; 29: 869–871
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