scholarly journals Circulating interleukins in relation to coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation and ischemic stroke and its subtypes: A two-sample Mendelian randomization study

2020 ◽  
Vol 313 ◽  
pp. 99-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuai Yuan ◽  
Ang Lin ◽  
Qi-qiang He ◽  
Stephen Burgess ◽  
Susanna C. Larsson
Author(s):  
Martin Bahls ◽  
Michael F. Leitzmann ◽  
André Karch ◽  
Alexander Teumer ◽  
Marcus Dörr ◽  
...  

Abstract Aims Observational evidence suggests that physical activity (PA) is inversely and sedentarism positively related with cardiovascular disease risk. We performed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to examine whether genetically predicted PA and sedentary behavior are related to coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, and ischemic stroke. Methods and results We used single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with self-reported moderate to vigorous PA (n = 17), accelerometer based PA (n = 7) and accelerometer fraction of accelerations > 425 milli-gravities (n = 7) as well as sedentary behavior (n = 6) in the UK Biobank as instrumental variables in a two sample MR approach to assess whether these exposures are related to coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction in the CARDIoGRAMplusC4D genome-wide association study (GWAS) or ischemic stroke in the MEGASTROKE GWAS. The study population included 42,096 cases of coronary artery disease (99,121 controls), 27,509 cases of myocardial infarction (99,121 controls), and 34,217 cases of ischemic stroke (404,630 controls). We found no associations between genetically predicted self-reported moderate to vigorous PA, accelerometer-based PA or accelerometer fraction of accelerations > 425 milli-gravities as well as sedentary behavior with coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, and ischemic stroke. Conclusions These results do not support a causal relationship between PA and sedentary behavior with risk of coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, and ischemic stroke. Hence, previous observational studies may have been biased. Graphic abstract


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. e001217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weiqi Chen ◽  
Shukun Wang ◽  
Wei Lv ◽  
Yuesong Pan

IntroductionThe relationship between insulin resistance (IR) and cardiovascular diseases is unclear. We aimed to examine the causal associations of IR with cardiovascular diseases, including coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke and its subtypes, using Mendelian randomization.Research design and methodsDue to low sample size for gold standard measures and in order to well reflect the underlying phenotype of IR, we used 53 single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with IR phenotypes (ie, fasting insulin, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides) from recent genome-wide association studies (GWASs) as instrumental variables. Summary-level data from four GWASs of European individuals were used. Data on IR phenotypes were obtained from meta-analysis of GWASs of up to 188 577 individuals and data on the outcomes from GWASs of up to 446 696 individuals. Mendelian randomization (MR) estimates were calculated with inverse-variance weighted, simple and weighted-median approaches and MR-Egger regression was used to explore pleiotropy.ResultsGenetically predicted 1-SD increase in IR phenotypes were associated with a substantial increase in risk of coronary artery disease (OR=1.79, 95% CI: 1.57 to 2.04, p<0.001), myocardial infarction (OR=1.78, 95% CI: 1.54 to 2.06, p<0.001), ischemic stroke (OR=1.21, 95% CI: 1.05 to 1.40, p=0.007) and the small-artery occlusion subtype of stroke (OR=1.80, 95% CI: 1.30 to 2.49, p<0.001), but not associated with the large-artery atherosclerosis and cardioembolism subtypes of stroke. There was no evidence of pleiotropy. Results were broadly consistent in sensitivity analyses using simple and weighted-median approaches accounting for potential genetic pleiotropy.ConclusionsThis study provides evidence to support that IR was causally associated with risk of coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke and the small-artery occlusion subtype of stroke.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhuo Wang ◽  
Fangkun Yang ◽  
Menghuai Ma ◽  
Qinyi Bao ◽  
Jinlian Shen ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Growth differentiation factor 15(GDF-15) concentration is apparently associated with cardiovascular disease, but whether there is a causal relationship has not been testified. Methods: We utilized Mendelian randomization to assess the function of GDF-15 in incidence of cardiovascular disease. The single-nucleotide polymorphism- GDF-15 association evaluations came from meta-analysis of genome-wide association study (GWAS). Besides inverse-variance weighted, MR-Egger test and weighted median method were applied to examine sensitivity. Results: Based on the instruments, GDF-15 level linked to the increasing risk of cardioembolic stroke (OR 1.09 per SD increase, 95% CI 1.01, 1.19) , atrial fibrillation (OR 1.03 per SD increase, 95% CI 1.0, 1.06), coronary artery disease (OR 0.94 per SD increase, 95% CI 0.89, 0.99) and myocardial infarction (OR 0.94 per SD increase, 95% CI 0.90, 0.98). However, the significant causal relationship between GDF-15 and the other cardiovascular diseases was not found in our study. Conclusions: The result suggested that GDF-15 was causally associated with the risk of cardioembolic stroke,atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction, providing us conceivable strategies to alleviate the burden of cardiovascular disease.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhuo Wang ◽  
Fangkun Yang ◽  
Menghuai Ma ◽  
Qinyi Bao ◽  
Jinlian Shen ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Growth differentiation factor 15(GDF-15) concentration is apparently associated with cardiovascular disease, but whether there is a causal relationship has not been testified. Methods: We utilized Mendelian randomization to assess the function of GDF-15 in incidence of cardiovascular disease. The single-nucleotide polymorphism- GDF-15 association evaluations came from meta-analysis of genome-wide association study (GWAS). Besides inverse-variance weighted, MR-Egger test and weighted median method were applied to examine sensitivity. Results: Based on the instruments, GDF-15 level linked to the increasing risk of cardioembolic stroke (1.06, OR 1.09 per SD increase, 95% CI 1.01, 1.19) , atrial fibrillation (OR 1.03 per SD increase, 95% CI 1.0, 1.06), coronary artery disease (OR 0.94 per SD increase, 95% CI 0.89, 0.99) and myocardial infarction (OR 0.94 per SD increase, 95% CI 0.90, 0.98). However, the significant causal relationship between GDF-15 and the other cardiovascular diseases was not found in our study. Conclusions: The result suggested that GDF-15 was causally associated with the risk of cardioembolic stroke,atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction, providing us conceivable strategies to alleviate the burden of cardiovascular disease.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marios K. Georgakis ◽  
Rainer Malik ◽  
Dipender Gill ◽  
Nora Franceschini ◽  
Cathie L. M. Sudlow ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTBackgroundStudies in humans and experimental models highlight a role of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in cardiovascular disease. Indirect evidence suggests that inhibition of IL-6 signaling could lower risk of coronary artery disease. However, whether such an approach would be effective for ischemic stroke and other cardiovascular outcomes remains unknown.MethodsIn a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 204,402 European individuals, we identified genetic proxies for downregulated IL-6 signaling as genetic variants in the IL-6 receptor (IL6R) locus that were associated with lower C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, a downstream effector of IL-6 signaling. We then applied two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) to explore associations with ischemic stroke and its major subtypes (large artery stroke, cardioembolic stroke, small vessel stroke) in the MEGASTROKE dataset (34,217 cases and 404,630 controls), with coronary artery disease in the CARDIoGRAMplusC4D dataset (60,801 cases and 123,504 control), and with other cardiovascular outcomes in the UK Biobank (up to 321,406 individuals) and in phenotype-specific GWAS datasets. All effect estimates were scaled to the CRP-decreasing effects of tocilizumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting IL-6R.ResultsWe identified 7 genetic variants as proxies for downregulated IL-6 signaling, which showed effects on upstream regulators (IL-6 and soluble IL-6R levels) and downstream effectors (CRP and fibrinogen levels) of the pathway that were consistent with pharmacological blockade of IL-6R. In MR, proxies for downregulated IL-6 signaling were associated with lower risk of ischemic stroke (Odds Ratio [OR]: 0.89, 95%CI: 0.82-0.97) and coronary artery disease (OR: 0.84, 95%CI: 0.77-0.90). Focusing on ischemic stroke subtypes, we found significant associations with risk of large artery (OR: 0.76, 95%CI: 0.62-0.93) and small vessel stroke (OR: 0.71, 95%CI: 0.59-0.86), but not cardioembolic stroke (OR: 0.95, 95%CI: 0.74-1.22). Proxies for IL-6 signaling inhibition were further associated with a lower risk of myocardial infarction, aortic aneurysm, atrial fibrillation and carotid plaque.ConclusionsWe provide evidence for a causal effect of IL-6 signaling on ischemic stroke, particularly large artery and small vessel stroke, and a range of other cardiovascular outcomes. IL-6R blockade might represent a valid therapeutic target for lowering cardiovascular risk and should thus be investigated in clinical trials.CLINICAL PERSPECTIVEWhat is newWe identified genetic proxies for downregulated IL-6 signaling that had effects on upstream and downstream regulators of the IL-6 signaling pathway consistent with those of pharmacological IL-6R blockadeGenetically downregulated IL-6 signaling was associated with a lower risk of ischemic stroke, and in particular large artery and small vessel strokeSimilar associations were obtained for a broad range of other cardiovascular outcomesWhat are the clinical implicationsInhibition of IL-6 signaling is a promising therapeutic target for lowering risk of stroke and other cardiovascular outcomes and should be further investigated in clinical trials


2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 649-655
Author(s):  
Eun Sun Gill ◽  
Young Jin Jeong ◽  
Junyong Lee

Background & Objectives: In Korea, stroke incidence is projected to rise due to the rapid aging of the Korean population. Additionally, gallstone disease incidence is increasing in Korea, due to dietary and westernized lifestyle. In this cross-sectional study, we investigated the association between gallstone disease and ischemic stroke in Korea. Methods: We included 566 patients aged 40‒89 years who underwent abdominal ultrasound or abdominal computed tomography at the VHS Medical Center between January 2008 and December 2010. Patient records were reviewed for the presence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, atrial fibrillation, obstructive coronary artery disease, and smoking history. The associations between risk factors, including gallstone disease, and ischemic stroke were analyzed using Pearson’s chi-square tests. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed with age, sex, smoking history, hypertension, obstructive coronary artery disease, and atrial fibrillation as covariates. Results: Age, sex, hypertension, obstructive coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, and smoking history were identified as significant risk factors for ischemic stroke (p-value < 0.05). Gallstone disease demonstrated an unadjusted odds ratio for ischemic stroke of 2.171 (95% confidence interval, 1.264‒3.729); after adjustment for risk factors, the odds ratio was 2.015 (95% confidence interval, 1.151‒3.528). Conclusion: In Korean patients, gallstone disease and ischemic stroke are correlated. Despite an unclear causality, the risk for ischemic stroke is significantly increased in patients with gallstone disease, even after adjusting for various confounders. Clinicians should be aware of the possibility of ischemic stroke in patients with gallstone disease, and should manage and educate patients accordingly.


Stroke ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Frerich ◽  
Rainer Malik ◽  
Marios K. Georgakis ◽  
Moritz F. Sinner ◽  
Steven J. Kittner ◽  
...  

Background and Purpose: Observational studies suggest an association of stroke with cardiac traits beyond atrial fibrillation, the leading source of cardioembolism. However, controversy remains regarding a causal role of these traits in stroke pathogenesis. Here, we leveraged genetic data to systematically assess associations between cardiac traits and stroke risk using a Mendelian Randomization framework. Methods: We studied 66 cardiac traits including cardiovascular diseases, magnetic resonance imaging–derived cardiac imaging, echocardiographic imaging, and electrocardiographic measures, as well as blood biomarkers in a 2-sample Mendelian Randomization approach. Genetic predisposition to each trait was explored for associations with risk of stroke and stroke subtypes in data from the MEGASTROKE consortium (40 585 cases/406 111 controls). Using multivariable Mendelian Randomization, we adjusted for potential pleiotropic or mediating effects relating to atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease, and systolic blood pressure. Results: As expected, we observed strong independent associations between genetic predisposition to atrial fibrillation and cardioembolic stroke and between genetic predisposition to coronary artery disease as a proxy for atherosclerosis and large-artery stroke. Our data-driven analyses further indicated associations of genetic predisposition to both heart failure and lower resting heart rate with stroke. However, these associations were explained by atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease, and systolic blood pressure in multivariable analyses. Genetically predicted P-wave terminal force in V1, an electrocardiographic marker for atrial cardiopathy, was inversely associated with large-artery stroke. Conclusions: Available genetic data do not support substantial effects of cardiac traits on the risk of stroke beyond known clinical risk factors. Our findings highlight the need to carefully control for confounding and other potential biases in studies examining candidate cardiac risk factors for stroke.


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