Jiang-Shan Tan1, Ning-Ning Liu2, Ting-Ting Guo1, Song Hu1, Lu Hua3. 1. Thrombosis Center, National Clinical Research Center of Cardiovascular Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100037, China. 2. Peking University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health, Beijing 100191, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health (Peking University), National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Beijing 100191, China. 3. Thrombosis Center, National Clinical Research Center of Cardiovascular Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100037, China. Electronic address: hualu@fuwaihospital.org.
Abstract
AIMS: The aim of this study was to apply the Mendelian randomization (MR) design to explore the potential causal association between COVID-19 and the risk of hypertension disorders in pregnancy. METHODS: Our primary genetic instrument comprised 8 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with COVID-19 at genome-wide significance. Data on the associations between the SNPs and the risk of hypertension disorders in pregnancy were obtained from study based on a very large cohort of European population. The random-effects inverse-variance weighted method was conducted for the main analyses, with a complementary analysis of the weighted median and MR-Egger approaches. RESULTS: Using IVW, we found that genetically predicted COVID-19 was significantly positively associated with hypertension disorders in pregnancy, with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.111 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.042-1.184; P = 0.001]. Weighted median regression also showed directionally similar estimates [OR 1.098 (95% CI, 1.013-1.190), P = 0.023]. Both funnel plots and MR-Egger intercepts suggest no directional pleiotropic effects observed. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide direct evidence that there is a shared genetic predisposition so that patients infected with COVID-19 may be causally associated with increased risk of hypertension disorders in pregnancy.
AIMS: The aim of this study was to apply the Mendelian randomization (MR) design to explore the potential causal association between COVID-19 and the risk of hypertension disorders in pregnancy. METHODS: Our primary genetic instrument comprised 8 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with COVID-19 at genome-wide significance. Data on the associations between the SNPs and the risk of hypertension disorders in pregnancy were obtained from study based on a very large cohort of European population. The random-effects inverse-variance weighted method was conducted for the main analyses, with a complementary analysis of the weighted median and MR-Egger approaches. RESULTS: Using IVW, we found that genetically predicted COVID-19 was significantly positively associated with hypertension disorders in pregnancy, with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.111 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.042-1.184; P = 0.001]. Weighted median regression also showed directionally similar estimates [OR 1.098 (95% CI, 1.013-1.190), P = 0.023]. Both funnel plots and MR-Egger intercepts suggest no directional pleiotropic effects observed. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide direct evidence that there is a shared genetic predisposition so that patients infected with COVID-19 may be causally associated with increased risk of hypertension disorders in pregnancy.