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Updated: Jul 1, 2025

Perturbations of Circulating miRNAs in Irritable Bowel Syndrome Detected Using a Multiplexed High-throughput Gene Expression Platform
Published on: November 30, 2016
Major depressive disorder and the risk of irritable bowel syndrome: A Mendelian randomization study
Ruiming Zhu1, Nan Zhang1, He Zhu1
1Department of Endoscopy, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China.
Background:
The association between major depressive disorder (MDD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has been found in observational research; however, the causative relationship between MDD and IBS remains uncertain. Using the two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach, we attempted to examine the causal effect of MDD on IBS.
Methods:
Independent genetic variants for MDD identified by Howard et al. based on a genome-wide meta-analysis were selected for this study. Gene-Outcome associations for IBS were gathered from UK Biobank and FinnGen databases. The MR analysis included inverse variance weighted (IVW), MR-Egger regression, weighted median, weighted mode, and MR-PRESSO sensitivity analyses.
Results:
FinnGen database subjected to inverse variance weighted (IVW) analysis revealed that MDD may be a risk factor for the development of IBS (OR = 1.356, 95% CI: 1.125-1.632, p = 0.0013). The same finding was reached in UK Biobank for IVW (OR = 1.011, 95% CI: 1.006-1.015, p = 3.18 × 10-7 ), MR-Egger progression (OR = 1.030, 95% CI: 1.008-1.051, p = 0.007), and weighted median (OR = 1.011, 95% CI: 1.005-1.016, p = 0.0001).
Conclusion:
Our findings supported a causal relationship between MDD and IBS, which may have implications for the clinical management of IBS in individuals with MDD.
Insights
Major depressive disorder (MDD) may causally increase the risk of developing irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). This genetic study provides evidence supporting a link between MDD and IBS, impacting patient care.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry and Gastroenterology
- Genetic Epidemiology
- Causal Inference
Background:
- Observational studies suggest an association between Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
- The causal relationship between MDD and IBS remains unclear.
- This study investigates the potential causal effect of MDD on IBS using genetic data.
Conclusions:
- Findings support a causal relationship between Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
- This causal link has potential implications for the clinical management of IBS in patients with MDD.
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