The association between Thyroid Dysfunction and Vitiligo: A two-sample Mendelian Randomization study in the European population

Abstract

Abstract Background Thyroid dysfunction have been demonstrated to be associated with vitiligo through observational studies. However, the causal relationship between thyroid disorders and vitiligo remains uncertain. In this study, we utilized Mendelian Randomization (MR) to assess the potential contribution of thyroid dysfunction to the development of vitiligo.Methods Genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary data for vitiligo, hypothyroidism, and hyperthyroidism were sourced from the IEU GWAS database, while free thyroxine (FT4) and thyrotropin (TSH) GWAS summary data were extracted from the ThyroidOmics Consortium. The two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses using inverse variance weighting (IVW), MR-Egger, and weighted median methods was employed to estimate the causal relationships between thyroid functions, as measured by the diagnosis of hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, and blood levels of FT4 and TSH. Sensitivity analyses, including Cochran's Q test, MR-Egger regression, and the leave-one-out test, were conducted to evaluate the robustness of our findings. Additionally, we performed the MR-pleiotropy test to examine potential pleiotropic effects.Results Our results demonstrated that hypothyroidism was significantly associated with an increased risk of vitiligo (OR = 1.005, 95% CI: 1.002–1.007; p < 0.001). However, no significant relationship was observed between hyperthyroidism, FT4, TSH, and vitiligo. Sensitivity analyses did not show significant horizontal pleiotropy or heterogeneity in the study.Conclusions Our study revealed that individuals with hypothyroidism exhibit a higher susceptibility to developing vitiligo. This finding carries significant implications for the prediction, prevention, and treatment of vitiligo.