AUTHOR=Lei Jiyong , Luo Da , Xiong Jiarui , Li Mingjiang 

TITLE=Using Mendelian randomization analysis to determine the causal connection between unpleasant emotions and coronary atherosclerosis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cardiovascular-medicine/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2023.1126157

DOI=10.3389/fcvm.2023.1126157

ISSN=2297-055X

ABSTRACT=Objective: Observational studies have shown a correlation between unpleasant emotions and coronary atherosclerosis, but the underlying causal linkages are yet uncertain. We conducted a Mendelian randomization (MR) investigation on two samples for this aim.
Methods: In genome-wide association studies in the UK Biobank (total = 459,561), we selected 40 distinct single-nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) related to unpleasant emotions as genome-wide statistically significant instrumental variables. FinnGen consortium provided summary-level data on coronary atherosclerosis for 211,203 individuals of Finnish descent. MR-Egger regression, the inverse variance weighted technique (IVW), and the weighted median method were used in the process of doing data analysis.
Results: There was sufficient evidence to establish a causal connection between unpleasant emotions and coronary atherosclerosis risk. For each unit increase in the log-odds ratio of unpleasant feelings, the odds ratios were 3.61 (95% CI: 1.64-7.95; P=0.001). The outcomes of sensitivity analyses were comparable. There was no indication of heterogeneity or directional pleiotropy.
Conclusion: Our findings provide causal evidence for the effects of unpleasant emotions on coronary atherosclerosis.