Causal association of gastroesophageal reflux disease with chronic sinusitis and chronic disease of the tonsils and adenoids

• Published in: European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology 2024-06, Vol.281 (6), p.2975-2984
• Main Authors: Li, Weizhen, Zhang, Yanan, Li, Xinwei, Xie, Mengtong, Dong, Lin, Jin, Mengdi, Lu, Qingxing, Zhang, Min, Xue, Fengyu, Jiang, Lintong, Yu, Qiong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adenoids - pathology; Chronic Disease; Female; Gastroesophageal Reflux - complications; Gastroesophageal Reflux - epidemiology; Head and Neck Surgery; Humans; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mendelian Randomization Analysis; Neurosurgery; Otorhinolaryngology; Palatine Tonsil - pathology; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Rhinology; Sinusitis - complications; Sinusitis - epidemiology
• ISSN: 0937-4477; 1434-4726
• DOI: 10.1007/s00405-023-08435-6

Background Exploring bidirectional causal associations between gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and chronic disease of the tonsils and adenoids and chronic sinusitis, respectively. Methods We first conducted a TSMR (two-sample mendelian randomization) study using the results of the inverse variance weighting method as the primary basis and bidirectional MR to rule out reverse causation. Subsequently, MVMR (multivariate MR) analysis was performed to identify phenotypes associated with SNPs and to explore the independent effect of GERD on two outcomes. Finally, we calculated MR-Egger intercepts to assess horizontal polytropy and Cochran's Q statistic to assess heterogeneity and ensure the robustness of the study. Results For each standard deviation increase in genetically predicted GERD rate, there was an increased risk of chronic disease of the tonsils and adenoids (OR 1.162, 95% CI 1.036–1.304, P: 1.06E−02) and of developing chronic sinusitis (OR 1.365, 95% CI 1.185–1.572, P: 1.52E−05), and there was no reverse causality. Causality for TSMR was obtained on the basis of IVW (inverse variance weighting) and appeared to be reliable in almost all sensitivity analyses, whereas body mass index may be a potential mediator of causality between GERD and chronic sinusitis. Conclusion There is a causal association between GERD and chronic disease of the tonsils and adenoids and chronic sinusitis, respectively, and the occurrence of GERD increases the risk of developing chronic disease of the tonsils and adenoids and chronic sinusitis.