Affiliation:
1. Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Aging is an irreversible progressive decline in physical function. Graves' disease (GD) is a common cause of hyperthyroidism and is characterized by elevated levels of the thyroid hormone (TH). High TH levels are associated with aging and a shortened lifespan. The causal relationship between GD and aging is yet to be investigated.
Methods
We used genome-wide association study (GWAS) datasets and Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to explore the causal link between GD and aging. To assess the statistical power of instrumental variables (IVs), F-statistics and R2 were used. MR analysis was conducted using inverse-variance weighting (IVW), MR-Egger, weighted median, and weighted modes. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% CI were calculated to estimate the relative risk of GD to the outcomes. The Cochran Q test, I2, MR-PRESSO test, and MR-Egger regression intercept were calculated using statistical and leave-one-out analyses to test the heterogeneity, horizontal pleiotropy, and stability of the IVs on the outcomes.
Results
The F-statistic of the five IVs were greater than 10, and the R2 values ranged from 0.033 to 0.156 (R2 > 0.01). According to the results of the IVW analysis, outcomes with no statistical differences were facial aging (p = 0.189), age-related macular degeneration (p = 0.346), and Alzheimer's disease (p = 0.479). There were significant statistical differences in the remaining outcomes: telomere length (TL) (OR = 0.982; 95%CI:0.969–0.994; p = 0.004), senile cataract (OR = 1.031; 95%CI:1.002–1.060; p = 0.033), age-related hearing impairment (OR = 1.009; 95%CI:1.004–1.014; p = 0.001), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (OR = 1.055; 95%CI:1.008–1.103; p = 0.020), and sarcopenia (OR = 1.027; 95%CI:1.009–1.046; p = 0.004).
Conclusions
GD accelerates the occurrence of age-related phenotypes including TL, senile cataracts, age-related hearing impairment, COPD, and sarcopenia. In contrast, there are no causal linkages between GD and facial aging, age-related macular degeneration, or Alzheimer's disease. Further experimental studies could be conducted to elucidate the mechanisms by which GD facilitates aging, which could help slow down the progress of aging.
Publisher
Research Square Platform LLC