Causal relationship between aspirin and the risk of bacterial pneumonia: big data analysis of the genome-wide association study from European populations

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Author: LI Zerong ¹ FAN Bin ¹ QIU Fang ¹ YANG Ming ¹  QIAO Wenmei ²

Affiliation: 1. Department of Pharmacy, Shenzhen University First Affiliated Hospital, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, Shenzhen 518035, Guangdong Province, China 2. Department of Pharmacy, Second Affiliated Hospital of Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen Third People's Hospital, Shenzhen 518112, Guangdong Province, China

Keywords: Aspirin Bacterial pneumonia Mendelian randomization Causal inference

DOI: 10.12173/j.issn.2097-4922.202412075

Reference: LI Zerong, FAN Bin, QIU Fang, YANG Ming, QIAO Wenmei. Causal relationship between aspirin and the risk of bacterial pneumonia: big data analysis of the genome-wide association study from European populations[J]. Yaoxue QianYan Zazhi, 2025, 29(4): 609-616. DOI: 10.12173/j.issn.2097-4922.202412075.[Article in Chinese]  Copied

Abstract
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Abstract

Objective To explore the genetic causal relationship between aspirin treatment and the risk of bacterial pneumonia through two sample Mendelian randomization (MR) method.

Methods Genetic datasets closely related to aspirin treatment and bacterial pneumonia were obtained from publicly available European genome-wide association study databases, and MR analysis was conducted using eight MR analysis methods (IVW, MR egger, Weighted median, Simple mode, Weighted mode, MR-RAPS, cML-MA, ConMix). The heterogeneity, sensitivity, and pleiotropy of MR analysis results were evaluated using Cochran's Q test, MR Egger intercept test, MR-PRESSO method and leave-one-out method, respectively. C-reactive protein, ischemic heart disease, body mass index, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, blood pressure/hypertension, and diabetes mellitus were included in the analysis as confounders.

Results The IVW results of MR analysis showed that there was a negative causal relationship between genetically predicted aspirin treatment and bacterial pneumonia [OR=0.073, 95%CI(0.021, 0.251), P=3.35×10^-5]. After analyzing the relationship between aspirin treatment and the risk of bacterial pneumonia using MR methods, Cochran's Q test showed no heterogeneity in the analysis results, the MR-PRESSO analysis and MR-Egger intercept test indicated no horizontal pleiotropy in the results, the leave-one-out method indicated good robustness of the results. The causal associations derived from the reanalysis after excluding the confounders still support this result.

Conclusion This MR analysis supports that aspirin has protective effects against bacterial pneumonia. However, more basic and clinical research will be needed to support the findings in the future.

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References

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