Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 May 23;26(1):104.
doi: 10.1186/s13075-024-03336-3.

Causal relationship between rheumatoid arthritis and bronchiectasis: a bidirectional mendelian randomization study

Zehu Chen #  1 , Xuegang Li #  2 , Honglei Shi #  3 , Yiying Huang  4 , Jing Liu  5
Affiliations

Causal relationship between rheumatoid arthritis and bronchiectasis: a bidirectional mendelian randomization study

Zehu Chen et al. Arthritis Res Ther. .

Abstract

Background: Epidemiological observational studies have elucidated a correlation between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and bronchiectasis. However, the causal nature of this association remains ambiguous. To clarify this potential causal linkage, we conducted a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to explore the bidirectional causality between RA and bronchiectasis.

Methods: Summary statistics for RA and bronchiectasis were obtained from the IEU OpenGWAS database We employed various methods, including inverse variance weighting (IVW), MR-Egger, weighted median, weighted mode, and simple mode, to explore potential causal links between RA and bronchiectasis. Additionally, a series of sensitivity studies, such as Cochran's Q test, MR Egger intercept test, and leave-one-out analysis, were conducted to assess the MR analysis's accuracy further.

Results: In the forward MR analysis, the primary analysis indicated that a genetic predisposition to RA correlated with an increased risk of bronchiectasis in European populations (IVW odds ratio (OR): 1.28, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.20-1.37, p = 1.18E-13). Comparable results were noted in the East Asian subjects (IVW OR: 1.55, 95% CI: 1.30-1.34, p = 8.33E-07). The OR estimates from the other four methods were consistent with those obtained from the IVW method. Sensitivity analysis detected no evidence of horizontal pleiotropy or heterogeneity. Conversely, in the reverse MR analysis, we found no evidence to support a genetic causality between bronchiectasis and RA in either European or East Asian populations.

Conclusion: This study indicates that genetic predisposition to RA correlates with a heightened risk of bronchiectasis in both European and East Asian populations. These results imply that routine screening for bronchiectasis in RA patients could be beneficial, and effective management of RA may contribute to a reduced risk of bronchiectasis. Future research should aim to clarify the underlying mechanisms linking these two conditions.

Keywords: Bronchiectasis; Genome-wide association study; Mendelian randomization; Rheumatoid arthritis; Single-nucleotide polymorphisms.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Study design for our Mendelian randomization
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Mendelian randomization for the association of rheumatoid arthritis on bronchiectasis
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Mendelian randomization for the association of bronchiectasis on rheumatoid arthritis
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Finckh A, Gilbert B, Hodkinson B, Bae S-C, Thomas R, Deane KD, et al. Global epidemiology of rheumatoid arthritis. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2022;18(10):591–602. - PubMed
    1. Almutairi K, Nossent J, Preen D, Keen H, Inderjeeth C. The global prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis: a meta-analysis based on a systematic review. Rheumatol Int. 2021;41(5):863–77. doi: 10.1007/s00296-020-04731-0. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Laria A, Lurati AM, Zizzo G, Zaccara E, Mazzocchi D, Re KA, et al. Interstitial lung disease in rheumatoid arthritis: a practical review. Front Med (Lausanne) 2022;9:837133. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2022.837133. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Martin LW, Prisco LC, Huang W, McDermott G, Shadick NA, Doyle TJ, et al. Prevalence and risk factors of bronchiectasis in rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2021;51(5):1067–80. doi: 10.1016/j.semarthrit.2021.08.005. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cortet B, Flipo RM, Rémy-Jardin M, Coquerelle P, Duquesnoy B, Rêmy J, et al. Use of high resolution computed tomography of the lungs in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis. 1995;54(10):815–19. doi: 10.1136/ard.54.10.815. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

MeSH terms