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REVIEW article

Front. Endocrinol.
Sec. Renal Endocrinology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1444808

Mendelian Randomization analysis reveals causal factors behind diabetic nephropathy: Evidence, Opportunities, and Challenges

Provisionally accepted
qinchuan Huang qinchuan Huang 1chen An chen An 2Shiyun Tang Shiyun Tang 1Yulin Leng Yulin Leng 1Yaowen Zhang Yaowen Zhang 1Bin Wan Bin Wan 1Yutong Han Yutong Han 1Yue Luo Yue Luo 1Chunguang Xie Chunguang Xie 1,3*
  • 1 Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
  • 2 Wangjing Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
  • 3 Sichuan Provincial Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Regulation of Metabolic Diseases, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China

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

    Diabetic nephropathy (DN), as the most serious minor vascular complication of diabetes, imposes a significant socioeconomic and medical cost around the world, and its prevention and treatment are a major challenge in the current medical community. Observational studies and randomized controlled trials have revealed protective and risk factors for some DN. However, the conclusions of these researches may be influenced by several types of confounding. Mendelian randomization is a new epidemiological method mainly used to infer the causal relationship between exposure and outcome. Many Mendelian randomization studies have found potential causal relationships between DN and some diseases and lifestyle habits, thus providing valuable data for future mechanistic studies as well as the development and implementation of clinical prevention strategies. As a result, the purpose of this review is to evaluate the published Mendelian randomization study of DN, using the bibliometric research method, analyze the current research status and hot spots, and further summarize the genetic evidence about the potential protection of DN and risk factors to provide new inspiration for the etiology of DN and as a reference for clinical intervention.

    Keywords: Diabetic nephropathy1, Mendelian randomization2, Bibliometrics analysis3, genetic variation4, causal relationship5

    Received: 06 Jun 2024; Accepted: 25 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Huang, An, Tang, Leng, Zhang, Wan, Han, Luo and Xie. 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: Chunguang Xie, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.