AUTHOR=Li Tianyu , Rong Li , Gao Yanlin , Cheng Wei 

TITLE=The causal relationship between obesity, obstructive sleep apnea and atrial fibrillation: a study based on mediated Mendelian randomization

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cardiovascular-medicine/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2024.1406192

DOI=10.3389/fcvm.2024.1406192

ISSN=2297-055X

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Background</title><p>Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common cardiac arrhythmia that is associated with obesity and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA). Obesity and OSA may increase the risk of AF by affecting cardiovascular health.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>The study used the Mendelian randomization (MR) approach, combined with two-sample and multivariable analyses, to assess the relationships between obesity, OSA, and AF. The study utilized GWAS data and applied various statistical methods for the analysis.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>The study found that obesity increased the risk of OSA, which in turn significantly increased the risk of AF. Through mediating MR analysis, it was found that OSA played a certain role in the causal relationship between obesity and AF, with about 6.4% of the risk of AF being mediated by OSA.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>This study highlights the relationships among obesity, OSA, and AF, providing useful guidance for future clinical researches.</p></sec>