Associations between Immune Cell Traits and Tonsil and Adenoid Hypertrophy in Children: a Bidirectional Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Study.

BACKGROUND

Mounting evidence indicates associations between immune cells and chronic diseases of the tonsils and adenoids (CDTA). Whether these observational links reflect underlying causality has yet to be determined. To elucidate causal links between immune cell traits and CDTA we used two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR).

METHODS

Summary data of 731 immune cell traits were acquired from the OPEN GWAS repository, encompassing absolute cell counts (n = 118), morphological parameters (MP; n = 32), relative cell counts (n = 192), and median fluorescence intensity of surface antigens (n = 389). Causality was investigated using forward MR analyses (immune cell traits as exposures, CDTA as outcomes) and reverse MR analyses (CDTA as exposures, immune cell traits as outcomes) and the inverse-variance weighting (IVW) method, complemented by sensitivity analyses to assess robustness.

RESULTS

Forward MR by IVW identified 14 immune cell traits that were positively associated with CDTA (p < 0.05, odds ratio [OR] > 1) and 12 immune cell traits that were negatively associated with CDTA (p < 0.05, OR < 1). Five of the immune cell traits exhibited heterogeneity (p < 0.05), but no horizontal pleiotropy (p > 0.05). Reverse MR revealed 3 immune cell traits that were positively associated with CDTA (p < 0.05, OR > 1), demonstrating bidirectional causality, with no heterogeneity or horizontal pleiotropy (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

This study used bidirectional two-sample MR to identify intricate causal links between multiple immune cell traits and CDTA, underscoring complex interactions between immunology and pathology in CDTA.