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The following is a summary of “Causal relationship between major depressive disorder, anxiety disorder and constipation: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study,” published in the November 2024 issue of Gastroenterology by Deng et al.
Studies suggest links between major depressive disorder (MDD), anxiety disorder (AXD), and constipation, but their exact relationship and causes remain unclear.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study exploring the causal connections between MDD, AXD and constipation.
They used a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) with genetic data from genome wide association studies (GWASs) for MDD, AXD, and constipation. Causal effects were analyzed using inverse variance weighting (IVW), with additional tests for heterogeneity, pleiotropy, and stability using Cochran’s Q test, MR‒Egger intercept, and MR-PRESSO analysis along with leave-one-out analysis. Reverse MR analysis was also performed to confirm the findings.
The results showed that a causal link between MDD and a higher risk of constipation (P=0.0001), while AXD did not raise constipation risk (P=8.52 x 10-1). Reverse analysis found no causal links (constipation to MDD: P=9.37 x 10-1; constipation to AXD: P=8.51 x 10-1).
Investigators concluded that genetic evidence supports a causal link between MDD and constipation, highlighting the need for further research to better understand this connection and its implications for managing both conditions effectively.
Source: bmcgastroenterol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12876-024-03526-y
