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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Neurol.
Sec. Neuro-Otology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2024.1387244
This article is part of the Research Topic Sudden deafness View all 18 articles

Causal Associations of white blood cell count and Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss: A Bidirectional and Multivariable Mendelian Randomization Study

Provisionally accepted
Ling Zhang Ling Zhang 1*Jialei Chen Jialei Chen 2Shixun Zhong Shixun Zhong 2*Jing Luo Jing Luo 2*Ping Zhang Ping Zhang 1*
  • 1 Yubei District People’s Hospital, Chongqing, China
  • 2 Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China

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

    Numerous compelling observational studies have demonstrated a plausible correlation between the white blood cell count and the susceptibility to sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). Nevertheless, the exact causal relationship between these two factors remains ambiguous. The objective of our study was to assess the causal impact of white blood cell count on sudden sensorineural hearing loss through the implementation of a bidirectional and multivariable Mendelian randomization (MR) methodology.Methods: Genetic data pertaining to white blood cell count were acquired from the Blood Cell Consortium, encompassing a total of 563,946 subjects. Concurrently, summary data on sudden sensorineural hearing loss were sourced from a Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS), involving 196,592 participants, comprising 1,491 cases and 195,101 controls. The primary method employed for MR analysis was the Inverse Variance Weighted method (IVW), while sensitivity analysis utilized the Weighted Median method, MR-Egger method, and MR-PRESSO method.In IVW method, genetically predicted elevated lymphocyte cell count demonstrates an effective reduction in the risk of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (odds ratio = 0.747, 95% CI = 0.565-0.987, P = 0.04). These findings remain consistent in multivariate MR analysis, even after adjusting for monocyte cell count and neutrophil cell count levels (odds ratio = 0.929, 95% CI = 0.867-0.995, P = 0.036).However, there is no discernible evidence supporting a direct causal relationship between monocyte cell count and neutrophil cell count levels and the occurrence of SSNHL.Within the normal range, higher lymphocyte cell count levels exhibit a potential protective effect against SSNHL. Meanwhile, no direct causal relationship are identified between monocyte cell count and neutrophil cell count levels and the risk of SSNHL.

    Keywords: Sudden sensorineural hearing loss, lymphocyte cell count, monocyte cell count, neutrophil cell count, Mendelian randomization

    Received: 17 Feb 2024; Accepted: 12 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zhang, Chen, Zhong, Luo and Zhang. 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:
    Ling Zhang, Yubei District People’s Hospital, Chongqing, 401120, China
    Shixun Zhong, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
    Jing Luo, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
    Ping Zhang, Yubei District People’s Hospital, Chongqing, 401120, China

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