The causal relationship between rheumatoid arthritis and the risk of leg ulcers: A mendelian randomization study

This Mendelian Randomization (MR) study aimed to investigate whether rheumatoid arthritis (RA) causally increases the risk of leg ulcers using publicly available genome-wide association studies (GWAS).

The genome-wide association study datasets that are accessible to the public were the source of instrumental variables. Four different models, including inverse variance weighted (IVW), weighted mode, MR Egger, and weighted median were used for MR analysis.

The IVW method uncovered a notable link between genetically predicted RA and a heightened risk of leg ulcers (β 0.2565; SE 0.07451; p = 0.0005763). The MR Egger, weighted mode, and weighted median also supported the association, with p-values < 0.05, indicating a strong connection between RA and leg ulcers. Weak evidence from reverse direction analysis suggests that leg ulcers may increase the risk of RA.

In conclusion, this MR study indicates a causal link between RA and leg ulcers. Our findings suggest that individuals with RA need targeted clinical care to prevent leg ulcers.