SARS-CoV-2 neurovascular invasion supported by Mendelian randomization
Abstract
Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is known to affect vessels and nerves and can be easily visualized in the retina. However, the effect of SARS-CoV-2 on retinal morphology remains controversial. In the present research, we applied Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to estimate the association between SARS-CoV-2 and changes in the thickness of the inner retina.
Methods: Two-sample MR analysis was conducted using summary-level data from 3 open genome-wide association study databases concerning COVID-19 infection (2,942,817 participants) and COVID-19 hospitalization (2,401,372 participants); moreover, the dataset of inner retina thickness, including the macular retinal nerve fiber layer (mRNFL) and macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (mGCIPL), included 31,434 optical coherence tomography (OCT) images derived from healthy UK Biobank participants. All the participants were of European ancestry. The inverse variance weighted (IVW) meta-analysis was used as our primary method. Various complementary MR approaches were established to provide robust causal estimates under different assumptions.
Results: According to our MR analysis, genetically predicted COVID-19 infection was associated with an increased risk of mRNFL and mGCIPL thickness (OR = 1.74, 95% CI 1.20-2.52, P = 3.58 × 10-3; OR = 2.43, 95% CI 1.49-3.96, P = 3.6 × 10-4). The other MR methods produced consistent results. However, genetically predicted COVID-19 hospitalization…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a meta-analysis, done in people. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid. Reported size: 2,942,817 participants or records.
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