Evaluation of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in genetic association studies

STrengthening the REporting of Genetic Association (STREGA) studies strongly recommend that researchers assess the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) in their control groups. The exact frequency of studies in which their control subjects show a significant deviation from the HWE is not well established. Therefore, the present study was conducted. The electronic database PubMed was searched using the terms: 'meta-analysis' and 'polymorphism'. Data of original articles were extracted from meta-analysis. The STREGA statement was published in 2009. Therefore, studies were divided into two groups, before and after the statement. After data collection, quartiles for sample size and minor allele frequency (MAF) were determined separately. A total of 772 independent studies were extracted from these meta-analyses and included in the current study. Multivariate analysis revealed the following associations: (1) Reports published after the STREGA statement (compared to before the statement) were associated with an increased prevalence of deviation from HWE. (2) Reports with sample size Q2-Q4 versus Q1 were associated with an increased prevalence of deviation from HWE. (3) Studies with MAF Q4 versus Q1 were negatively associated with the prevalence of reports of deviation from HWE. We conclude that the STREGA statement failed to change the attitudes and practices of researchers and editors towards the importance of HWE.