Association Between the Change of Serum Copper and Ischemic Stroke: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Ischemic stroke is the most common stroke subtypes with all strokes. More and more studies found that serum copper was related to the ischemic stroke. However, the correlation between serum copper and ischemic stroke was inconsistent. We performed the meta-analysis to assess the association between the change of serum copper and ischemic stroke. Electronic databases were identified to search for relevant studies about serum copper and ischemic stroke from inception to February 28, 2019. Eight studies with a total of 777 participants were included into this meta-analysis. Because of high heterogeneity (I² = 71%), we chose a random effect model. Our results showed the serum copper levels were significantly higher in ischemic stroke group compared with controls group (pooled mean difference, 1.25; 95% confidence intervals (CIs), 0.07-2.43; P = 0.04), in particular studies after the year of 2009 (I² = 0%; pooled mean difference, 2.16; 95% CI, 1.37-2.95; P < 0.00001). Serum copper was associated with ischemic stroke, and it may be one of the risk factors of ischemic stroke.