Effect of persistent organic pollutants in patients with ischemic stroke and all stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis

The role of environmental contaminants and their association with stroke is still being determined. Association has been shown with air pollution, noise, and water pollution; however, the results are inconsistent across studies. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect of persistent organic pollutants (POP) in ischemic stroke patients were conducted; a comprehensive literature search was carried out until 30th June 2021 from different databases. The quality of all the articles which met our inclusion criteria was assessed using NewcastleOttawa scaling; five eligible studies were included in our systematic review. The most studied POP in ischemic stroke was polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and they have shown a trend for association with ischemic stroke. The study also revealed that living near a source of POPs contamination constitutes a risk of exposure and an increased risk of ischemic stroke. Although our study provides a strong positive association of POPs with ischemic stroke, more extensive studies must be conducted to prove the association.

Automated summary

The role of environmental contaminants in stroke is still being investigated, with inconsistent results in studies on the association of air pollution, noise, and water pollution with stroke. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to examine the effect of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) on ischemic stroke patients. Five eligible studies were included, with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) being the most studied POP associated with ischemic stroke. Living near a source of POP contamination was found to increase the risk of exposure and ischemic stroke. Further extensive studies are needed to confirm the association between POPs and ischemic stroke.