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Published on: December 6, 2016
Causal relationship between levels of myeloperoxidase and obstructive sleep apnea: a bidirectional two-sample
Weihua Tang1,2, Fang Li1, Rui Huang3
1Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Central Hospital of Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Enshi, China.
Background:
Several observational studies have investigated the association between myeloperoxidase (MPO) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, the nature of this relationship remains uncertain due to potential selection and confounding biases. To resolve this, we conducted a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study to scrutinize the causal relationship between MPO and OSA.
Methods:
Instrumental variables (IVs) for OSA were sourced from the publicly available FinnGen dataset, encompassing 38,998 OSA cases and 336,659 controls. Data on MPO were sourced from a study of 21,758 individuals conducted by the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI). The primary MR analysis utilized the inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method, with MR-Egger intercept and leave-one-out methods assessing pleiotropy and Cochran's Q test determining heterogeneity.
Results:
The IVW analysis indicated a causal relationship between heightened MPO levels and an increased incidence of OSA. Individuals with elevated MPO levels manifested a higher propensity to develop OSA, exhibiting an odds ratio (OR) of 1.075 and a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 1.011-1.143 (p = 0.021). Conversely, the reciprocal analysis unveiled no significant association between OSA and heightened MPO levels (p = 0.643). No directional pleiotropy was identified through the MR-Egger intercept test (p > 0.05).
Conclusion:
Our study provides evidence of an association between elevated MPO levels and an increased incidence of OSA. However, OSA does not necessarily lead to elevated MPO levels. When patients present with high MPO levels, screening for OSA may be advisable, considering their clinical characteristics.
Insights
Elevated myeloperoxidase (MPO) levels increase the risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, obstructive sleep apnea does not appear to raise MPO levels, suggesting MPO may be a useful biomarker for OSA risk.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Research
- Genetics and Epidemiology
- Sleep Medicine
Background:
- Observational studies suggest a link between myeloperoxidase (MPO) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), but causality is unclear due to potential biases.
- Mendelian randomization (MR) is a robust method to investigate causal relationships using genetic variants as instrumental variables.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the causal relationship between myeloperoxidase (MPO) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) using a bidirectional two-sample MR design.
- To clarify whether elevated MPO levels causally increase OSA risk or if OSA leads to higher MPO levels.
Main Methods:
- Utilized genetic variants associated with MPO and OSA as instrumental variables.
- Employed inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method for primary analysis, with MR-Egger and Cochran's Q tests for pleiotropy and heterogeneity assessment.
- Data sourced from FinnGen (OSA) and European Bioinformatics Institute (MPO) studies.
Main Results:
- Found evidence supporting a causal effect of higher MPO levels on increased OSA incidence (OR 1.075, 95% CI 1.011-1.143, p=0.021).
- No significant causal association was detected between OSA and elevated MPO levels (p=0.643).
- MR-Egger intercept test indicated no significant directional pleiotropy.
Conclusions:
- Elevated MPO levels are causally associated with an increased risk of developing OSA.
- OSA does not appear to causally lead to elevated MPO levels.
- Consider MPO levels as a potential biomarker for OSA risk, prompting OSA screening in individuals with high MPO.
