Association of Barrett's esophagus with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: a bidirectional analysis of Mendelian randomization

Abstract

BackgroundObservational studies have reported associations between Barrett's esophagus (BE) and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), but the causal relationship remained unclear due to potential confounding biases. Our study aimed to elucidate this causal relationship by deploying a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) methodology.MethodsInstrumental variables (IVs) for Barrett's esophagus were obtained from a public database that comprised 13,358 cases and 43,071 controls. To investigate OSAS, we utilized summary statistics from a comprehensive genome-wide association study (GWAS) encompassing 38,998 cases of OSAS and 336,659 controls. Our MR analyses adopted multiple techniques, including inverse variance weighted (IVW), weighted median, weighted mode, MR-Egger, and simple mode.ResultsThe IVW analysis established a causal relationship between Barrett's esophagus and OSAS, with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.19 and a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 1.11–1.28 (p = 8.88E-07). Furthermore, OSAS was identified as a contributing factor to the onset of Barrett's esophagus, with an OR of 1.44 and a 95% CI of 1.33–1.57 (p = 7.74E-19). Notably, the MR–Egger intercept test found no evidence of directional pleiotropy (p > 0.05).ConclusionThis study identifies a potential association between BE and an increased occurrence of OSAS, as well as the reverse relationship. These insights could influence future screening protocols and prevention strategies for both conditions.