Association between Chronic Hepatitis B and Osteoporosis: a two-sample mendelian randomization study.

Area of Science:

• Genetics and Epidemiology
• Metabolic Diseases
• Hepatology

Background:

• Metabolic abnormalities in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) are linked to osteoporosis (OP).
• Causal relationship between CHB and OP requires further investigation.
• Mendelian randomization (MR) is a robust method for assessing causality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the causal effect of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) on osteoporosis (OP).
• To utilize a two-sample Mendelian randomization approach for causal inference.
• To investigate this relationship in an East Asian cohort.

Main Methods:

• Two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study using genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary data.
• Instrumental variables (SNVs) for CHB selected from BioBank Japan Project (BBJ) data.
• Inverse variance-weighted (IVW) method as primary analysis, with weighted median and mode methods for validation; heterogeneity and pleiotropy tests performed.

Main Results:

• Significant association found between CHB and OP (OR = 1.011, p = 0.005) using IVW method.
• Analyses showed no significant heterogeneity or pleiotropy among instrumental variables.
• Consistent results observed with weighted median and weighted mode methods, supporting the primary finding.

Conclusions:

• This MR study provides evidence for a causal relationship between chronic hepatitis B and osteoporosis.
• Findings suggest CHB is a risk factor for developing osteoporosis.
• The study highlights the importance of considering metabolic impacts of CHB on bone health in East Asian populations.