Causal Relationship between Plasma Liposomes and Autoimmune Thyroid Disease: A Mendelian Randomization Study

Autoimmune thyroid disease is an autoimmune disease. Observational studies have shown that individuals with thyroid dysfunction have dyslipidaemia. However, it is uncertain whether there is a causal relationship between the two. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the causal relationship between plasma liposomes and autoimmune thyroid disease, thereby providing new insights into disease mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets.

We used two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) to elucidate the causal relationship between plasma liposomes and autoimmune thyroid disease. We divide autoimmune thyroid disease into three types: autoimmune hyperthyroidism, autoimmune hypothyroidism, and autoimmune thyroiditis. The IVW method is the main analysis method, and Cochran Q test is used. MR-Egger intercept, leave-one-out test, and other tests are used to explore whether there are heterogeneity and pleiotropy in MR results.

MR analysis revealed causal relationships between eight plasma lipoproteins and autoimmune hyperthyroidism. Eleven causal relationships were identified between plasma lipoproteins and autoimmune hypothyroidism, including cholesterol ester (27:1/16:0) and cholesterol ester (27:1/18:2). Sixteen plasma lipoproteins have been confirmed to have causal relationships with autoimmune thyroiditis, including cholesterol ester (27:1/20:3) and sphingosine (d40:2) levels, which are associated with an increased risk of autoimmune thyroiditis, while phosphatidylethanolamine (18:2:0:0) levels are associated with a reduced risk of autoimmune thyroiditis. A series of sensitivity tests also confirmed the reliability of the results.

According to this MR study, an established study, there is a causal relationship between plasma liposomes and autoimmune thyroid disease, which provides fresh insights into the potential mechanisms of autoimmune thyroid disease that may contribute to the development, prevention, and treatment of autoimmune thyroid disease.