| Title: | Mendelian Randomization Analysis Reveals No Causal Relationship Between Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Severe COVID-19 |
| Journal: | Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology |
| Published: | 3 Feb 2022 |
| Pubmed: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35124268/ |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cgh.2022.01.045 |
| URL: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8812093 |
| Citations: | 48 (35 in last 2 years) as of 8 Aug 2024 |
Publication 12565
WARNING: the interactive features of this website use CSS3, which your browser does not support. To use the full features of this website, please update your browser.
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has witnessed more than 4.5 million deaths as of the time of writing. Whether nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) increases the risk for severe COVID-19 remains unclear. We sought to address this question using 2-sample Mendelian randomization (TSMR) analysis approaches in large cohorts.</p>
METHODS: We performed large-scale TSMR analyses to examine whether there is a causal relationship between NAFLD, serum alanine aminotransferase, grade of steatosis, NAFLD Activity Score, or fibrosis stage and severe COVID-19. To maximize the power of this analysis, we performed a genome-wide meta-analysis to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with NAFLD. We also examined the impact of 20 major comorbid factors of NAFLD on severe COVID-19.</p>
RESULTS: Univariate analysis of the UK Biobank data demonstrated a significant association between NAFLD and severe COVID-19 (odds ratio [OR], 3.06; P = 1.07 × 10-6). However, this association disappeared after demographic and comorbid factors were adjusted (OR, 1.57; P = .09). TSMR study indicated that NAFLD (OR, 0.97; P = .61), alanine aminotransferase level (OR, 1.03; P = .47), grade of steatosis (OR, 1.08; P = .41), NAFLD Activity Score (OR, 1.02; P = .39), and fibrosis stage (OR, 1.01; P = .87) were not associated with severe COVID-19. Among all NAFLD-related comorbid factors, body mass index (OR, 1.73; P = 7.65 × 10-9), waist circumference (OR, 1.76; P = 2.58 × 10-5), and hip circumference (OR, 1.33; P = 7.26 × 10-3) were the only ones demonstrated a causal impact on severe COVID-19.</p>
CONCLUSIONS: There is no evidence supporting that NAFLD is a causal risk factor for severe COVID-19. Previous observational associations between NAFLD and COVID-19 are likely attributed to the correlation between NAFLD and obesity.</p>
7 Keywords
- Alanine Transaminase
- Body Mass Index
- COVID-19
- Fibrosis
- Humans
- Mendelian Randomization Analysis
- Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
7 Authors
- Jiuling Li
- Aowen Tian
- Haoxue Zhu
- Lanlan Chen
- Jianping Wen
- Wanqing Liu
- Peng Chen
1 Application
| Application ID | Title |
|---|---|
| 71668 | A genetic study of abnormal fat deposition and its impact on human diseases |
Enabling scientific discoveries that improve human health