Kidney function and five types of psychiatric traits/disorders: a bidirectional mendelian randomisation study

Psychiatric traits/disorders and kidney dysfunction frequently co-occur, yet the causal relationships between them remain unclear.
A bidirectional MR study investigated causal links between psychiatric traits/disorders and kidney function related traits/diseases. Genetic instruments came from large-scale GWAS. IVW analysis provided primary causal estimates, supplemented by sensitivity methods. We further tested whether modifiable lifestyle factors mediated these associations.
The effects of psychiatric traits/disorders on conventional kidney function related traits/diseases are considerably more complex, while the reverse causal effects from kidney on psychiatric traits/disorders tend to be more limited. Specifically, anxiety and MDD reduced CRE; anxiety raised uric acid; schizophrenia showed bidirectional causality with uric acid and BUN. Collectively, these disorders elevated eGFRcrea. Anxiety and neuroticism increased AKI risk, while bipolar disorder heightened CKD risk. Mediation analysis demonstrated that BMI, education, alcohol consumption and smoking serve as significant mediators in the pathways from psychiatric traits/disorders to renal function.
Bidirectional genetic causality was observed between psychiatric traits/disorders and kidney function related traits/diseases, though causal effects from psychiatric traits/disorders on kidney impairment were more pronounced. Modifiable lifestyle factors may be potential targets for prevention and clinical intervention.