Analyses Suggest No Causal Effect of Smoking Behavior on Chronic Kidney Disease
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, Jan. 9, 2025 -- Smoking behavior seems to not have a causal effect on chronic kidney disease (CKD) risk in White individuals, according to a study published online Nov. 4 in Health Data Science.
In a traditional observational study, Zhilong Zhang, from the Peking University Health Science Center in Beijing, and colleagues used data from the U.K. Biobank cohort for adults aged 40 to 69 years to examine the associations between smoking indices, including smoking status and lifetime smoking index, and incident CKD stages 3 to 5. A potential causal effect was then estimated using Mendelian randomization (MR) approaches. The causal associations with CKD stages 3 to 5 were examined in one-sample MR using genetic variants associated with lifetime smoking index among 344,255 U.K. Biobank participants with White British ancestry. The findings were validated by a two-sample MR analysis using information from the Chronic Kidney Disease Genetics Consortium genome-wide association study.
The researchers found that both smoking status and lifetime smoking index were associated with a higher risk for incident CKD in the traditional observational study (hazard ratios, 1.26 and 1.22, respectively). However, in one- and two-sample MR analyses, no causal association was seen between lifetime smoking index and CKD. The genetic instruments were validated by statistical tests; similar results to the main model were seen in all sensitivity analyses.
"Given the substantial evidence linking smoking to CKD, further mediation analysis is needed to understand the intricate mechanisms between smoking behavior and CKD," the authors write. "Such an analysis is essential for generating valuable insights that can inform and enhance public health strategies focused on mitigating CKD risk factors and improving overall kidney health."
One author reported being deputy editor of Health Data Science.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted January 2025
Read this next
Prevalence of Most Cancer Risk Factors Unchanged Before, After Pandemic
THURSDAY, April 24, 2025 -- Smoking rates continued to decline during the COVID-19 pandemic, but other major risk factors for cancer remained stable, according to a study...
Higher Temperatures Tied to Greater Risk for Mortality in People Undergoing Dialysis
WEDNESDAY, April 23, 2025 -- Moderately elevated ambient temperature is associated with increased mortality in patients undergoing dialysis, according to a study published in the...
Smoking, Eating, Vaping, Dabbing Are Most Common Routes of Marijuana Use
WEDNESDAY, April 23, 2025 -- Smoking, eating, vaping, and dabbing are the most common routes of marijuana use, according to research published in the April 10 issue of the U.S...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.