C677T polymorphism of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene and the risk of ischemic stroke in Polish subjects.

Hyperhomocysteinemia is reported to be an independent risk factor for the development of ischemic stroke. Several studies on genetic variants of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR, which plays a crucial role in regulation of plasma homocysteine concentration) reported an association between C677T gene polymorphism and stroke in some Asian populations. No study but one detected this association in Caucasians. The purpose of the present case-control study was to find a relationship between MTHFR genotypes and stroke in a Polish population. MTHFR genotypes were determined by PCR in 152 patients with ischemic stroke from northwestern Poland and in 135 consecutive newborns from the same population. The TT genotype and the T allele were significantly more frequent in patients than in the control group (11.8% vs. 4.4%, and 34.5% vs. 21.5%, P<0.01). When males and females were analyzed separately, the differences were statistically significant in both genders. It is concluded that presence of the T allele is a risk factor for ischemic stroke in Polish subjects.