Assessment of the bidirectional causal association between allergic diseases and neuropsychiatric disorders.

This genetic study looked at whether mental health conditions and allergies cause each other. Researchers found that bipolar disorder and depression may increase the risk of certain allergies like asthma and skin problems. Interestingly, autism appeared to protect against one type of allergic reaction (hives), while tic disorders increased risk of eye allergies.

This bidirectional Mendelian randomization study investigated causal relationships between allergic diseases and neuropsychiatric disorders using genetic data. The analysis found that bipolar disorder causally increased risk of allergic asthma (OR=1.204) and allergic rhinitis (OR=4.647), while depression increased risk of allergic asthma (OR=1.141) and atopic dermatitis (OR=1.103). Reverse analysis showed autism spectrum disorder was protective against allergic urticaria (OR=0.780), and tic disorder increased risk of allergic conjunctivitis (OR=1.020). Sensitivity analyses confirmed absence of significant heterogeneity or horizontal pleiotropy, supporting the reliability of causal inferences.

Findings suggest need for integrated care approaches monitoring both mental health and allergic conditions. Clinicians should consider screening for allergic diseases in patients with bipolar disorder or depression, and be aware of potential protective effects in autism.

Sample sizes not reported, unclear population characteristics, and modest effect sizes for some associations. Mendelian randomization assumptions may not hold, and findings require replication in independent samples.

This study aimed to explore the causal associations between allergic diseases and neuropsychiatric disorders via bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. This study employed three methodologies for MR analysis, primarily utilizing the inverse variance weighted approach, while supplementing with MR-Egger regression and the weighted median method. Sensitivity analyses encompassed Cochran's Q test, MR-PRESSO test, MR-Egger regression intercept and leave-one-out analysis, all serving to validate the reliability of the reported findings. The forward MR analysis results indicated that bipolar disorder (BD) was positively correlated with allergic asthma (AA) (OR = 1.204) and allergic rhinitis (AR) (OR = 4.647), and depression was positively correlated with AA (OR = 1.141) and atopic dermatitis (AD) (OR = 1.103).

The reverse MR analysis outcomes unveiled a negative association between allergic urticaria (AU) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (OR = 0.780), a positive correlation between allergic conjunctivitis (AC) and tic disorder (TD) (OR = 1.020). Sensitivity analysis indicated an absence of significant heterogeneity or potential horizontal pleiotropy. AA and AD acted as risk factors for depression; AA and AR increased the risk of BD; ASD served as a protective factor for AU; TD was a risk factor for AC.