Table 2.
Summary of critical appraisal of case-control studies.
| Criteria | Canhao 1994 | Kunze 2000 | Kubota 2001 | Qureshi 2001 | Mhurchu 2001 | Kissela 2002 | Ohkuma 2003 | Broderick 2003 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearly focused issue? | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Appropriate method? | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Acceptable case recruitment? | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Acceptable control recruitment? | Y | C/T | C/T | Y | Y | Y | C/T | C/T |
| Exposure accurately measured? | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Confounders accounted for? | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Confounding factors in the design and/or analysis taken account of? | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N |
| What are the results? | C/T | C/T | C/T | C/T | C/T | C/T | C/T | C/T |
| How precise are the results? | C/T | C/T | C/T | C/T | C/T | C/T | C/T | C/T |
| Do you believe the results? | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Applicable to the local population? | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Fits with other available evidence? | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Do you believe the results? | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Total methodological quality | L | M | M | M | M | M | M | M |
Y-Yes; N-No; H-High; L-Low; M-Moderate; C/T-Cannot tell.