Elevated Blood Pressure: A Genetically Determined Risk Factor for Cerebral Artery Dissection

Abstract

Abstract BACKGROUND We aim to investigate the potential causal link between blood pressure (BP) levels and cerebral artery dissection (CAD) risk by employing a 2-sample Mendelian randomization (TSMR) framework. METHODS Utilizing large-scale genome-wide association studies-retrieved data, we employed various Mendelian randomization (MR) techniques, including inverse variance weighted (IVW), MR-Egger regression, weighted median, and weighted mode, to ascertain BP’s causal impact on CAD. The MR-Egger intercept was calculated to assess pleiotropy presence, determining heterogeneity by Cochran’s Q statistic. RESULTS The findings highlighted a significant association between elevated systolic BP (SBP; IVW: OR = 3.09, 95% CI: 1.11–8.61, P = 0.031) and increased diastolic BP (DBP; IVW: OR = 2.17, 95% CI: 1.14–6.21, P = 0.023) with CAD risk. Sensitivity analyses reinforced the robustness and reliability of these results. CONCLUSIONS The results from this TSMR study suggest a causal link between high SBP and DBP and the increased likelihood of CAD, which provides genetic evidence for a reduced risk of CAD under BP control.