Association between hypertension and gingival bleeding: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study

Abstract

Abstract Objectives To investigate whether there is a causal relationship between hypertension and gingival bleeding using Mendelian randomization analysis. Materials and methods We performed a two-sample two-way Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis using publicly released genome-wide association study (GWAS) statistics. The inverse variance weighting (IVW) method was used as the primary analysis. We applied complementary methods, including weighted median, weighted mode, simple mode, MR-Egger regression, and MR-polyvalence residuals and outliers (MR-PRESSO) to detect and correct for the effects of horizontal polyvalence. Results IVW MR analysis showed a causal relationship between hypertension and gingival bleeding (IVWOR =1.0056, P =0.0171). Similarly, a significant causal relationship between gingival bleeding and hypertension was found in the inverse MR analysis (IVW OR = 4.7645, P = 0.0012). The results of the MR-Egger regression method, weighted median method and weighted plural method were consistent with the IVW method. Based on sensitivity analysis, horizontal multiplicity is unlikely to distort causal estimates. Conclusions Although some observational studies have reported no causal relationship between gingival bleeding on hypertension or hypertension on gingival bleeding, the results of our MR analysis support a causal relationship between hypertension and gingival bleeding. Clinical relevance Mendelian randomization studies can analyze more clearly whether there is a causal relationship between hypertension and gingival bleeding, with a view to providing some reference for clinicians, deepening their understanding of the relationship between hypertension and gingival bleeding, and exploring more possible associations between hypertension or gingival bleeding and systemic diseases.