This study uses Mendelian Randomization (MR) to analyze the bidirectional causal relationships between FI, FP, and PTSD.
This study utilized data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and employed multiple MR methods. Bidirectional MR analyses were conducted to explore the causal relationships between FI and PTSD, FP and PTSD, and PTSD and FI, PTSD and FP. Sensitivity analyses, including heterogeneity tests, pleiotropy tests, and leave-one-out analyses, were also performed to verify the robustness of the results.
A significant positive causal relationship was found between FI and PTSD, with an effect estimate of 1.660 (95% CI: 1.234, 2.087) and a p-value of 2.29 × 10-14 using the inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method. FP also showed a significant positive causal relationship with PTSD, with a significant result from the MR-Egger method, showing an effect estimate of 3.858 (95% CI: 1.890, 5.825) and a p-value of 0.00078. In reverse analyses, PTSD had minimal or no causal effect on FI and FP, with the IVW method suggesting a weak positive relationship, but other methods showing non-significant results. Sensitivity analyses supported the robustness of the main findings.
This study reveals significant positive causal relationships between FI, FP, and PTSD using MR analysis, highlighting the critical role of frailty in the pathogenesis of PTSD.
This study aims to overcome these limitations by using bidirectional and multivariable multi-sample Mendelian Randomization (MR) approaches to elucidate the causal relationship between frailty and PTSD, providing more robust evidence of their causal link.
Mendelian randomization
Frailty
