Exploring the causal relationships between psychiatric disorders and hypothyroidism combining mendelian randomization...

While associations between psychiatric disorders and hypothyroidism have been observed, the underlying causal relationships remain unclear. Exploring the causal relationships among them can provide new insights into the underlying mechanisms.

Two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) was conducted to assess the causal effects of seven psychiatric disorders on hypothyroidism. Mediation analysis evaluated causal effects and mediating proportions of twelve potential mediators. Protein-protein interaction networks and enrichment analyses were conducted to explore underlying biological mechanisms.

Depression showed a robust independent causal effect on hypothyroidism (OR = 1.357, 95 % CI: 1.171-1.571), while the effect of ADHD was not significant after adjustment for confounders. Antidepressant use (mediating proportion: 27.1 %, 95 % CI:0.9-53.7 %), alcohol consumption (11.8 %, 95 % CI:2.8-23.5 %), and BMI (11.7 %, 95 % CI:2.0-21.6 %) partially mediated the effect of depression. Enrichment analysis revealed that the mechanism of depression and hypothyroidism was related to insulin resistance, the PI3K-Akt pathway and other pathways, which provided a protein-level basis for the mediating role of obesity.

Our findings suggest an independent causal effect of depression on hypothyroidism. These results highlight the importance of clinical attention to metabolic and endocrine health in individuals with depression. The potential mediating role of antidepressant use, alcohol consumption, and BMI warrants further investigation in clinical settings.