tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol
. 2022 Feb 3;S1542-3565(22)00104-5.
doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2022.01.045. Online ahead of print.
Mendelian Randomization Analysis Reveals No Causal Relationship Between Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Severe COVID-19
Jiuling Li[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Aowen Tian[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Haoxue Zhu[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Lanlan Chen[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Jianping Wen[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Wanqing Liu[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Peng Chen[SUP] 6 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Background & aims: The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has witnessed more than 4.5 million deaths as of the time of writing. Whether nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) increase the risk for severe COVID-19 remains unclear. We sought to address this question using two-sample Mendelian randomization (TSMR) analysis approaches in large cohorts.
Methods: We performed large-scale TSMR analyses to examine whether there is a causal relationship between NAFLD, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), grade of steatosis, NAFLD Activity Score (NAS), or fibrosis stage and severe COVID-19. To maximize the power of this analysis, we performed a genome-wide meta-analysis (GWMA) to identify single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with NAFLD. We also examined the impact of 20 major co-morbid factors of NAFLD on severe COVID-19.
Results: Univariate analysis of the UK Biobank (UKB) data demonstrated a significant association between NAFLD and severe COVID-19 (OR=3.06, p=1.07×10[SUP]-6[/SUP]). However, this association disappeared after demographic and co-morbid factors adjusted (OR=1.61, p=0.08). TSMR study indicated that NAFLD (OR=0.97, p=0.61), ALT level (OR=1.03, p=0.47), grade of steatosis (OR=1.08, p=0.41), NAS (OR=1.02, p=0.39), and fibrosis stage (OR=1.01, p=0.87) were not associated with severe COVID-19. Among all NAFLD-related co-morbid factors, BMI (OR=1.73, p=7.65×10[SUP]-9[/SUP]), waist circumference (WC, OR=1.76, p=2.58×10[SUP]-5[/SUP]), and hip circumference (HC, OR=1.33, p=7.26×10[SUP]-3[/SUP]) were the only ones demonstrated a causal impact on severe COVID-19.
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.
Keywords: Genome-wide Association Study; Mendelian Randomization; Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; Severe COVID-19.
. 2022 Feb 3;S1542-3565(22)00104-5.
doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2022.01.045. Online ahead of print.
Mendelian Randomization Analysis Reveals No Causal Relationship Between Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Severe COVID-19
Jiuling Li[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Aowen Tian[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Haoxue Zhu[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Lanlan Chen[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Jianping Wen[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Wanqing Liu[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Peng Chen[SUP] 6 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 35124268
- DOI: 10.1016/j.cgh.2022.01.045
Abstract
Background & aims: The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has witnessed more than 4.5 million deaths as of the time of writing. Whether nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) increase the risk for severe COVID-19 remains unclear. We sought to address this question using two-sample Mendelian randomization (TSMR) analysis approaches in large cohorts.
Methods: We performed large-scale TSMR analyses to examine whether there is a causal relationship between NAFLD, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), grade of steatosis, NAFLD Activity Score (NAS), or fibrosis stage and severe COVID-19. To maximize the power of this analysis, we performed a genome-wide meta-analysis (GWMA) to identify single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with NAFLD. We also examined the impact of 20 major co-morbid factors of NAFLD on severe COVID-19.
Results: Univariate analysis of the UK Biobank (UKB) data demonstrated a significant association between NAFLD and severe COVID-19 (OR=3.06, p=1.07×10[SUP]-6[/SUP]). However, this association disappeared after demographic and co-morbid factors adjusted (OR=1.61, p=0.08). TSMR study indicated that NAFLD (OR=0.97, p=0.61), ALT level (OR=1.03, p=0.47), grade of steatosis (OR=1.08, p=0.41), NAS (OR=1.02, p=0.39), and fibrosis stage (OR=1.01, p=0.87) were not associated with severe COVID-19. Among all NAFLD-related co-morbid factors, BMI (OR=1.73, p=7.65×10[SUP]-9[/SUP]), waist circumference (WC, OR=1.76, p=2.58×10[SUP]-5[/SUP]), and hip circumference (HC, OR=1.33, p=7.26×10[SUP]-3[/SUP]) were the only ones demonstrated a causal impact on severe COVID-19.
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.
Keywords: Genome-wide Association Study; Mendelian Randomization; Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; Severe COVID-19.