Association between frailty and common psychiatric disorders: A bidirectional Mendelian randomization study

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Genetics
• Gerontology

Background:

• Growing interest in the link between frailty and psychiatric disorders.
• Limited research on the genetic basis of this relationship.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential causal relationship between frailty and common psychiatric disorders using a large-scale genetic approach.
• To examine bidirectional associations between frailty and bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, schizophrenia, and suicide or intentional self-harm.

Main Methods:

• Two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses were performed.
• Multiple MR methods including IVW, MR-Egger, and weighted median were employed.
• Sensitivity analyses and heterogeneity testing were conducted to ensure robustness.

Main Results:

• Frailty was significantly associated with an increased risk of bipolar disorder (OR=1.60), major depressive disorder (OR=2.04), schizophrenia (OR=1.91), and suicide/intentional self-harm (OR=1.77).
• Reverse MR analyses showed no significant association between psychiatric disorders and the risk of frailty.
• Results were consistent across various sensitivity analyses.

Conclusions:

• Frailty may be a significant risk factor for developing common psychiatric disorders.
• Findings suggest a potential unidirectional causal pathway from frailty to psychiatric disorders.
• Implications for patient care in both psychiatric and frailty management.