METHODS: To addresses this outstanding issue, we performed Mendelian randomization analysis to detect the causal association between COVID-19 and hearing loss using the largest genome-wide association study data to date in the European population and confirmed the results in the East Asian population. Comprehensively sensitive analyses were followed, including Cochran\'s Q test, Mendelian randomization (MR)-Egger intercept test, MR-pleiotropy residual sum and outlier, and leave-one-out analysis, to validate the robustness of our results.
RESULTS: Our results suggested that there is no causal association between COVID-19 and the risk of hearing loss in the European population. Neither the susceptibility, hospitalization, and severity of COVID-19 on hearing loss (inverse variance weighted method: odds ratio (OR) = 1.046, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.907-1.205, p = .537; OR = 0.995, 95% CI = 0.956-1.036, p = .823; OR = 0.995, 95% CI = 0.967-1.025, p = .76). Replicated analyses in the East Asian population yielded consistent results. No pleiotropy and heterogeneity were found in our results.
CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, our MR results do not support a genetically predicted causal relationship between COVID-19 and sensorineural hearing loss. Thus, the associations observed in prior observational studies may have been influenced by confounding factors rather than a direct cause-and-effect relationship. More clinical and mechanism research are needed to further understand this association in the future.
方法:为了解决这个悬而未决的问题,我们在欧洲人群中使用迄今为止最大的全基因组关联研究数据进行了孟德尔随机化分析,以检测COVID-19与听力损失之间的因果关系,并在东亚人群中证实了这一结果.遵循全面敏感的分析,包括Cochran的Q测试,孟德尔随机化(MR)-Egger截距检验,MR多效性残差和离群值,和遗漏分析,以验证我们结果的稳健性。
结果:我们的结果表明,COVID-19与欧洲人群的听力损失风险之间没有因果关系。无论是易感性,住院治疗,和COVID-19对听力损失的严重程度(逆方差加权法:比值比(OR)=1.046,95%置信区间(CI)=0.907-1.205,p=.537;OR=0.995,95%CI=0.956-1.036,p=.823;OR=0.995,95%CI=0.967-1.025,p=.76)。在东亚人群中的重复分析产生了一致的结果。在我们的结果中没有发现多效性和异质性。
结论:结论:我们的MR结果不支持COVID-19与感音神经性听力损失之间存在基因预测的因果关系.因此,在之前的观察性研究中观察到的关联可能受到混杂因素的影响,而不是直接的因果关系.未来需要更多的临床和机制研究来进一步了解这种关联。