Study explores the potential causal link between GERD, a common gastrointestinal issue, and the risk of heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) in women. The analysis suggests a potential causal relationship, although the results were inconclusive, pointing to the complexity of hormonal interactions in both conditions.
By Vijay Kumar MalesuAug 27 2023Reviewed by Benedette Cuffari, M.Sc. In a recent study posted to the preprint* server Research Square while under review for publication in BMC Medical Genomics, researchers investigate the potential causal relationship between gastroesophageal reflux disease and the risk of heavy menstrual bleeding during regular menstrual cycles.
What is GERD? GERD is a widespread gastrointestinal issue characterized by chest burning and is often diagnosed through symptom evaluation and endoscopy. The chronicity of GERD is attributed to genetics, body mass index , smoking, and potentially female hormones. About the study The genome-wide association study database was utilized for obtaining data from numerous GWAS, from which summary statistics for GERD and HMB, both of European descent populations, were obtained. Specific statistical criteria were used to isolate single nucleotide polymorphism associated with GERD, which led to the identification of 75 SNPs. These SNPs underwent further analysis to gauge their relevance to GERD and HMB.
Study findings A total of 75 SNPs were identified from GWASs on GERD for use as instrumental variables , with four SNPs excluded during data analysis. These SNPs had a positive association with HMB in regular menstrual cycles, which was supported by specific P-value and F-statistic criteria. There was no significant evidence of horizontal pleiotropy; however, potential signs of heterogeneity were identified. Notably, no single SNP dominated the IVW estimate. Even when considering potential biases in MR methods due to horizontal pleiotropy, both the funnel plot and MR-Egger regression showed consistent results, thus implying no evident asymmetry.
A previous Swedish study highlighted a relationship between body weight and GERD symptoms, thus suggesting the potential role of estrogen in GERD. While some women report nausea during menstruation, other studies have reported that increased sex hormones during pregnancy contribute to reflux. Due to confounding variables, traditional epidemiological studies face challenges in defining the causality between exposure factors and disease outcomes.
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