Investigating the Causal Relationship between Five Major Psychiatric Disorders and Five Cardiovascular Diseases: A Mendelian Randomization Study

Abstract

Background Prior research has established a positive correlation between mental illness and a heightened risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the nature of this correlation - whether it is causal or not - has yet to be determined. To address this uncertainty, our study utilizes Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses. This approach is designed to explore the potential causative connections between various psychiatric disorders and the risk of developing CVD. Method and Results To verify the causal relationship between various psychiatric disorders and the risk of prevalent cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), we conducted a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. We utilized a standardized inverse variance weighting method to assess the causal associations between eight psychiatric disorders and eight prevalent CVDs. The psychiatric disorders examined include major depressive disorder (MDD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder (BIP), schizophrenia (SCZ), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), insomnia, and anxiety. Our findings suggest a causative link between five major psychiatric disorders (MDD, ADHD, BIP, SCZ, and Anxiety) and an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). These measures should include promoting increased physical activity, advocating for better nutritional habits, encouraging smoking cessation, and carefully managing the use of antipsychotic medications.

Note:
Funding declaration: This study received no funding from any public, commercial, or non-profit sector agency.

Conflict of Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Keywords: Mendelian randomization, Cardiovascular diseases, Psychiatric disorders, Genetic factors, causality