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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Endocrinol.
Sec. Clinical Diabetes
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1369466
This article is part of the Research Topic Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Diseases: from Genes to Metabolites in the Discovery of Predictive, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Targets. View all 11 articles

The Harmful Effect of Ankylosing Spondylitis on Diabetes Mellitus: New Evidence from The Mendelian Randomization Analysis

Provisionally accepted
Zheng Ren Zheng Ren 1Chenyang Li Chenyang Li 2Jing Wang Jing Wang 1Li Shu Li Shu 1Yuan Ma Yuan Ma 1*
  • 1 Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Ürümqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Region, China
  • 2 People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Ürümqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Region, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: While observational research has highlighted a possible link between ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and type 2 diabetes (T2DM), the quality of evidence remains limited, and the causal relationship is yet to be established. This study aims to explore the causal link between AS and T2DM, as well as its impact on traits related to glucose metabolism.Method: To infer a causal relationship between AS and various diabetes-related traits, including type 1 diabetes (T1DM), T2DM, blood glucose levels, fasting glucose, glycated hemoglobin, and fasting insulin, we employed Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. We sourced GWAS summary data for both exposure and outcome variables from the IEU OpenGWAS database, GWAS Catalog, and FinnGen database. To synthesize the results of the MR analyses, we applied meta-analysis techniques using either a fixed or random effects model. For identifying and excluding instrumental variants (IVs) that exhibit horizontal pleiotropy with the outcomes, we utilized the MR-PRESSO method. Sensitivity analyses were conducted using the MR-Egger method, along with Q and I^2 tests, to ensure the robustness of our findings.Results: Our analysis revealed a significant association between AS and an increased risk of T1DM with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.5754 (95% CI: 1.2935 to 1.9187) and T2DM with an OR of 1.0519 (95% CI: 1.0059 to 1.1001). Additionally, AS was associated with elevated levels of fasting glucose (beta coefficient = 0.0165, 95% CI: 0.0029 to 0.0301) and blood glucose (beta coefficient = 0.0280, 95% CI: 0.0086 to 0.0474), alongside a decrease in fasting insulin levels (beta coefficient = -0.0190, 95% CI: -0.0330 to -0.0050). Conclusion: Our findings collectively underscore the detrimental impact of AS on the development of diabetes, highlighting the critical influence of autoimmune disorders in diabetes onset. This provides profound insights into the pathogenesis of diabetes from an immunological standpoint.

    Keywords: ankylosing spondylitis, Type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus, glucose metabolism, Mendelian randomization, Meta-analysis

    Received: 21 Feb 2024; Accepted: 30 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Ren, Li, Wang, Shu and Ma. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Yuan Ma, Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Ürümqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Region, China

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