Positive Causal Association Between Rheumatoid Arthritis, Bronchiectasis
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, July 24, 2024 -- There is a causal association between genetically predicted rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and increased risk of bronchiectasis, according to a study published online June 19 in Frontiers in Medicine.
Yuanyuan Li, from the Wuhan Fourth Hospital in China, and colleagues obtained RA genome-wide association study (GWAS) data and bronchiectasis GWAS data to examine whether genetically predicted RA is associated with the risk of bronchiectasis and vice versa. Inverse variance weighted (IVW) estimation was used as the main method for univariate Mendelian randomization (UVMR) analysis. To validate the findings, bidirectional and replication MR analysis, multivariate MR (MVMR), Mediation analysis, and sensitivity analyses were conducted.
The researchers found that in the UVMR analysis, the IVW results indicated increased risk of bronchiectasis for RA (odds ratio, 1.18). In the reverse MR analysis, there was no evidence of a causal effect of bronchiectasis on RA risk. RA remained associated with increased risk of bronchiectasis in the replication MR analysis. In MVMR analyses, estimates remained consistent after adjustment for prescription of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and glucocorticoids. Overall, 58 percent of the effect of RA on bronchiectasis was mediated by immunosuppressants.
"Health care providers should be vigilant about the potential onset of bronchiectasis in patients with RA," the authors write. "The underlying pathophysiological mechanisms linking the development of bronchiectasis in RA patients warrant further comprehensive investigation."
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 July 2024
Read this next
Global Incidence Rate of Rheumatoid Arthritis Increased From 1990 to 2021
MONDAY, June 16, 2025 -- The incidence rate of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) increased globally from 1990 to 2021, with the heaviest burden born by regions with a high...
Exposure to Smoke Pollution Ups Risk for Hospitalization for Respiratory Disease
FRIDAY, May 2, 2025 -- For older adults in the Western United States, exposure to high levels of smoke pollution is associated with an increase in hospitalizations for respiratory...
Psoriatic Arthritis Tied to Delays in Diagnosis Compared With Rheumatoid Arthritis
WEDNESDAY, April 30, 2025 -- Patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) have delays in diagnosis compared with those with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a study published...
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.