Association Between Visceral Adipose Tissue and Chronic Respiratory Diseases: A Two-Sample Multivariable Mendelian...

Area of Science:

• Genetics
• Epidemiology
• Pulmonology

Background:

• Obesity's link to respiratory issues is known, but the specific role of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) in chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) is understudied.
• The causal relationship between VAT and CRDs requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential causal effects of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) on four chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs): COPD, allergic asthma, ILD, and sarcoidosis.
• To determine if these associations are independent of body mass index (BMI).

Main Methods:

• Two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was employed.
• Inverse variance weighted (IVW) was the primary method, supplemented by MR Egger, weighted median, Simple mode, and Weighted mode.
• Multivariate MR analysis adjusted for BMI, and sensitivity analyses (Egger intercept, MR-pleiotropy residual sum and outlier, leave-one-out) confirmed robustness.

Main Results:

• Genetically predicted VAT showed a significant association with increased risk for COPD (OR=1.56), allergic asthma (OR=1.44), and ILD (OR=1.15).
• No significant association was found between VAT and sarcoidosis.
• These associations persisted after adjusting for BMI in multivariate MR analyses.

Conclusions:

• This study provides evidence supporting a causal link between visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and COPD, allergic asthma, and ILD.
• The identified relationships between VAT and these CRDs are independent of body mass index (BMI).