Major depressive disorder and chronic gastritis: A bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization study
Junlin Li1, Xiuyun Chen1, Mingyu Yin1
1Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
Insights
Major depressive disorder (MDD) increases the risk of developing chronic gastritis (CG). However, chronic gastritis does not appear to causally influence the incidence of major depressive disorder, according to this Mendelian randomization study.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology and Psychiatry
- Genetic Epidemiology
Background:
- Observational studies suggest a link between chronic gastritis (CG) and major depressive disorder (MDD).
- Establishing a causal relationship and temporal sequence between CG and MDD has been challenging.
- Mendelian randomization (MR) offers a method to investigate potential causal links using genetic variants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential causal relationship between chronic gastritis and major depressive disorder.
- To determine if MDD causally affects CG risk.
- To assess if CG causally affects MDD incidence.
Main Methods:
- A bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach was utilized.
- Genetic variants for MDD and CG were extracted from large genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of European descent.
- MR estimations and sensitivity analyses were performed to validate findings.
Main Results:
- Genetic liability to major depressive disorder (MDD) was causally associated with an increased risk of chronic gastritis (CG) (OR = 1.33, P = 1.06 × 10-4).
- No significant evidence was found for a causal effect of chronic gastritis (CG) on the incidence of major depressive disorder (MDD) (OR = 1.01, P = 0.68).
- The study used 221 genetic variants for MDD and 5 for CG.
Conclusions:
- Major depressive disorder (MDD) may causally increase the risk for developing chronic gastritis (CG).
- Chronic gastritis (CG) does not appear to have a causal impact on the development of major depressive disorder (MDD).
- Findings may inform clinical management strategies for patients with comorbid MDD and CG.
Objective:
Observational studies have posited a strong correlation between chronic gastritis (CG) and major depressive disorder (MDD), but the nature of this association remains uncertain, owing to the challenges of establishing the temporal sequence. The present study sought to elucidate the elusive relationship between CG and MDD by employing a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach.
Methods:
We extracted instrumental variants for MDD and CG from published genome-wide association study data, focusing on individuals of primarily European descent. A comprehensive suite of MR estimations and sensitivity analyses was performed to ensure the robustness of the findings. Each outcome database was analyzed separately in both directions.
Results:
For MDD and CG, 221 and 5 genetic variants, respectively, were selectively extracted as instrumental variants. The results suggest that MDD is causally associated with an elevated risk of CG (IVW: 23andMe, OR = 1.33; 95% CI = 1.15-1.54; p = 1.06 × 10-4); conversely, no strong evidence was found to corroborate that CG exerts a causal effect on the incidence of MDD (IVW: OR = 1.01; 95% CI = 0.95-1.07; p = 0.68).
Conclusions:
These findings provide novel insights into the causal relationship between CG and MDD, which may have implications for clinical decision-making in patients with MDD and CG.
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