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Published on: November 1, 2024
Causal association between helicobacter pylori and atherosclerosis: a two-sample Mendelian randomization
Xueyi Zhang1, Yue Shi1, Tielin Li1
1Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China.
Insights
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection shows a causal link to atherosclerosis (AS). This study found H. pylori antibodies are associated with peripheral and coronary artery disease, suggesting a potential role in cardiovascular health.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular epidemiology
- Infectious diseases
- Genetics
Background:
- Observational studies suggest a link between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and atherosclerosis (AS).
- The causal relationship between H. pylori and AS remains debated.
- Investigating this link is crucial for understanding cardiovascular disease etiology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the causal relationship between H. pylori infection and atherosclerosis.
- To utilize Mendelian randomization (MR) to assess genetic predisposition.
- To differentiate the impact of various H. pylori antibodies on AS.
Main Methods:
- A two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was performed.
- Genetic data for H. pylori and AS were sourced from IEU GWAS and Finngen GWAS databases, respectively.
- Inverse variance weighted (IVW) method was the primary analytical approach, with sensitivity analyses including leave-one-out and F-statistic for weak instrument detection.
Main Results:
- A significant positive causal association was found between H. pylori OMP antibody levels and peripheral atherosclerosis (OR=1.33, P=0.0026).
- H. pylori VacA antibody levels demonstrated a causative link with coronary atherosclerosis (OR=1.06, P=0.016).
- All instrumental variables were robust, with F-values exceeding 10.
Conclusions:
- This MR study provides evidence for a causal link between H. pylori infection and atherosclerosis.
- Different H. pylori antibodies may have distinct roles in the development of AS.
- Further research is warranted to elucidate the precise underlying mechanisms.
Background:
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), according to a number of recent observational studies, is connected to atherosclerosis (AS). However, the link between H. pylori and AS is debatable.
Methods:
In order to calculate the causal relationship between H. pylori and AS, we employed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. The data for H. pylori were obtained from the IEU GWAS database ( https://gwas.mrcieu.ac.uk/datasets/ ) and the data for AS were obtained from the Finngen GWAS database ( https://r5.finngen.fi/ ). We selected single nucleotide polymorphisms with a threshold of 5 × 10-6 from earlier genome-wide association studies. MR was performed mainly using the inverse variance weighted (IVW) method. To ensure the reliability of the findings, We performed a leave-one-out sensitivity analysis to test for sensitivity. F-value was used to test weak instrument.
Results:
A positive causal relationship between H. pylori OMP antibody levels and peripheral atherosclerosis was shown by our two-sample MR analysis (odds ratio (OR) = 1.33, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.14-1.54, P = 0.26E-03) using IVW. Additionally, there was a causative link between coronary atherosclerosis and H. pylori VacA antibody levels (IVW OR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.01-1.10, P = 0.016). All the F-values were above 10.
Conclusions:
This MR study discovered a causal link between H. pylori and AS. Different antibodies have different effects, so future researches are needed to figure out the exact mechanisms behind this link.
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