Causality between nasal diseases and COPD: a two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis

Abstract:

Objective To investigate the causality between nasal diseases and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease（COPD） and to enhance understanding of the traditional Chinese medicine theory—the nose is the portal to the lungs.Methods This study was based on pooled statistical data from genome-wide association studies（GWAS）. A two-sample Mendelian randomization（MR） method was used to investigate the causality between allergic rhinitis/acute sinusitis/chronic sinusitis/nasal polyps and COPD，using genetic factors as instrumental variables.Results The study revealed that genetic factors-dependent chronic sinusitis was significantly correlated with an increased risk of COPD after excluding the pleiotropy and heterogeneity（IVW：P=0.008 6）. Genetic factors-dependent nasal polyps were significantly correlated with an elevated risk of COPD（IVW：P=0.003 2）. No associations were found between allergic rhinitis/acute sinusitis and COPD.Conclusion Chronic sinusitis and nasal polyps are correlated with an increased risk of COPD. Nonetheless，high-level randomized controlled trials are imperative to validate these findings.