Bottom Line: Sickle cell trait may not be associated with the occurrence of ischemic stroke (when a blood clot blocks a blood vessel in the brain) in African Americans, according to a meta-analysis that combined the results of four studies with 19,464 African American participants.
Why The Research Is Interesting: African Americans and individuals of African ancestry are at higher risk of stroke than individuals who are non-Hispanic white. Understanding sources of this disparity could help to identify people at risk and help to target therapy. It is unclear if sickle cell trait is a genetic risk factor for increased risk of ischemic stroke among African Americans.
Authors: Hyacinth I. Hyacinth, M.D., Ph.D., of Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, and coauthors
Study Design: This was a meta-analysis. A meta-analysis combines the results of multiple studies and quantitatively summarizes the overall association between the same exposure and outcomes measured across all studies.
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To Learn More: The full study is available on the For The Media website.
(doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2018.0571)
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Journal
JAMA Neurology