Exploring the causal relationship: bidirectional mendelian randomization study on benign prostatic hyperplasia and...

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Science
• Urology
• Genetics

Background:

• Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is prevalent in aging men.
• Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a leading global cause of mortality.
• Observational studies suggest a link between BPH and CVDs, but causality remains uncertain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential causal relationship between Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and five major cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).
• Specifically examining stroke, coronary heart disease (CHD), heart failure, myocardial infarction (MI), and atrial fibrillation (AF).

Main Methods:

• A bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study was employed.
• Genetic data for BPH and CVDs were sourced from large-scale population databases (UK Biobank, HERMES, FinnGen).
• Sensitivity analyses included MR-Egger, MR-PRESSO, and weighted median methods to ensure robustness.

Main Results:

• Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) was associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and myocardial infarction (MI).
• A decreased risk of stroke was observed in individuals with BPH.
• No statistically significant causal association was found in the reverse analysis (CVDs influencing BPH).

Conclusions:

• The study indicates a potential causal link between Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).
• BPH may act as a risk factor for CHD and MI, while potentially being protective against stroke.
• Further investigation with larger sample sizes is recommended to elucidate these associations.