Statins as a risk factor for diabetic retinopathy: a Mendelian randomization and cross-sectional observational study
Abstract Background Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the foremost cause of vision loss among the global working-age population, and statins are among the most frequently prescribed drugs for lipid management in patients with DR. The exact relationship between statins and DR has not been determined. This...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Journal of Translational Medicine |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-024-05097-8 |
| _version_ | 1797247067429535744 |
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| author | Chengming Chen Huan Zhang Yanyan Lan Weiming Yan Sida Liu Yixuan Chen Tingke Xie Jiayi Ning Xiaolong Yan Lei Shang Jing Han |
| author_facet | Chengming Chen Huan Zhang Yanyan Lan Weiming Yan Sida Liu Yixuan Chen Tingke Xie Jiayi Ning Xiaolong Yan Lei Shang Jing Han |
| author_sort | Chengming Chen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the foremost cause of vision loss among the global working-age population, and statins are among the most frequently prescribed drugs for lipid management in patients with DR. The exact relationship between statins and DR has not been determined. This study sought to validate the causal association between statins usage and diabetic retinopathy. Methods The summary-data-based Mendelian randomization (SMR) method and inverse-variance-weighted Mendelian randomization (IVW-MR) were used to identify the causal relationship between statins and DR via the use of expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) data for 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR) (31,684 blood samples), low density lipoprotein cholesterol-related GWAS data (sample size: 440,546), and DR-related GWAS data (14,584 cases and 176,010 controls). Additionally, a cross-sectional observational study based on the data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) was conducted to supplement the association between DR and statins (sample size: 106,911). The odds ratios (ORs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) was employed to evaluate the results. Results Based on the results of the MR analysis, HMGCR inhibitors were causally connected with a noticeably greater incidence of DR (IVW: OR = 0.54, 95% CI [0.42, 0.69], p = 0.000002; SMR: OR = 0.66, 95% CI [0.52, 0.84], p = 0.00073). Subgroup analysis revealed that the results were not affected by the severity of DR. The sensitivity analysis revealed the stability and reliability of the MR analysis results. The results from the cross-sectional study based on NHANES also support the association between not taking statins and a decreased risk of DR (OR = 0.54, 95% CI [0.37, 0.79], p = 0.001). Conclusions This study revealed that a significant increase in DR risk was causally related to statins use, providing novel insights into the role of statins in DR. However, further investigations are needed to verify these findings. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T19:52:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6992a9a3f1914cd99f7df5782347f4a4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1479-5876 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T19:52:48Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Translational Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-6992a9a3f1914cd99f7df5782347f4a42024-03-24T12:32:06ZengBMCJournal of Translational Medicine1479-58762024-03-0122111110.1186/s12967-024-05097-8Statins as a risk factor for diabetic retinopathy: a Mendelian randomization and cross-sectional observational studyChengming Chen0Huan Zhang1Yanyan Lan2Weiming Yan3Sida Liu4Yixuan Chen5Tingke Xie6Jiayi Ning7Xiaolong Yan8Lei Shang9Jing Han10Department of Ophthalmology, Tangdu Hospital, The Air Force Military Medical UniversityDepartment of Gastroenterology, Air Force Medical Center, The Air Force Military Medical UniversityCollege of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese MedicineCollege of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese MedicineDepartment of Ophthalmology, Tangdu Hospital, The Air Force Military Medical UniversityDepartment of Ophthalmology, Tangdu Hospital, The Air Force Military Medical UniversityDepartment of Ophthalmology, Tangdu Hospital, The Air Force Military Medical UniversityDepartment of Ophthalmology, Tangdu Hospital, The Air Force Military Medical UniversityDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Tangdu Hospital, The Air Force Military Medical UniversityDepartment of Health Statistics, School of Preventive Medicine, The Air Force Military Medical UniversityDepartment of Ophthalmology, Tangdu Hospital, The Air Force Military Medical UniversityAbstract Background Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the foremost cause of vision loss among the global working-age population, and statins are among the most frequently prescribed drugs for lipid management in patients with DR. The exact relationship between statins and DR has not been determined. This study sought to validate the causal association between statins usage and diabetic retinopathy. Methods The summary-data-based Mendelian randomization (SMR) method and inverse-variance-weighted Mendelian randomization (IVW-MR) were used to identify the causal relationship between statins and DR via the use of expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) data for 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR) (31,684 blood samples), low density lipoprotein cholesterol-related GWAS data (sample size: 440,546), and DR-related GWAS data (14,584 cases and 176,010 controls). Additionally, a cross-sectional observational study based on the data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) was conducted to supplement the association between DR and statins (sample size: 106,911). The odds ratios (ORs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) was employed to evaluate the results. Results Based on the results of the MR analysis, HMGCR inhibitors were causally connected with a noticeably greater incidence of DR (IVW: OR = 0.54, 95% CI [0.42, 0.69], p = 0.000002; SMR: OR = 0.66, 95% CI [0.52, 0.84], p = 0.00073). Subgroup analysis revealed that the results were not affected by the severity of DR. The sensitivity analysis revealed the stability and reliability of the MR analysis results. The results from the cross-sectional study based on NHANES also support the association between not taking statins and a decreased risk of DR (OR = 0.54, 95% CI [0.37, 0.79], p = 0.001). Conclusions This study revealed that a significant increase in DR risk was causally related to statins use, providing novel insights into the role of statins in DR. However, further investigations are needed to verify these findings.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-024-05097-8Diabetic retinopathyStatinsHMGCRMendelian randomizationNHANES |
| spellingShingle | Chengming Chen Huan Zhang Yanyan Lan Weiming Yan Sida Liu Yixuan Chen Tingke Xie Jiayi Ning Xiaolong Yan Lei Shang Jing Han Statins as a risk factor for diabetic retinopathy: a Mendelian randomization and cross-sectional observational study Journal of Translational Medicine Diabetic retinopathy Statins HMGCR Mendelian randomization NHANES |
| title | Statins as a risk factor for diabetic retinopathy: a Mendelian randomization and cross-sectional observational study |
| title_full | Statins as a risk factor for diabetic retinopathy: a Mendelian randomization and cross-sectional observational study |
| title_fullStr | Statins as a risk factor for diabetic retinopathy: a Mendelian randomization and cross-sectional observational study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Statins as a risk factor for diabetic retinopathy: a Mendelian randomization and cross-sectional observational study |
| title_short | Statins as a risk factor for diabetic retinopathy: a Mendelian randomization and cross-sectional observational study |
| title_sort | statins as a risk factor for diabetic retinopathy a mendelian randomization and cross sectional observational study |
| topic | Diabetic retinopathy Statins HMGCR Mendelian randomization NHANES |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-024-05097-8 |
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