Mendelian randomization analysis of the causal relationship between low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and androgenic alopecia

Androgenic alopecia (AGA), a common type of hair loss, is linked to various genetic and environmental factors. Dyslipidemia, particularly low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels, has emerged as a potential contributing factor. This study sought to investigate the causal relationship between LDL-C, HDL-C, and AGA using Mendelian randomization (MR). Data were sourced from the Integrative Epidemiology Unit Open Genome-Wide Association Study database. Univariate MR analysis was conducted to investigate the relationships between LDL-C, HDL-C, and AGA. Meanwhile, multivariate Mendelian randomization analysis was further performed to control for the mutual interference between LDL-C and HDL-C, so as to clarify their independent effects on AGA. In the univariate MR analysis, results from the inverse variance weighted method showed a significant positive causal association between LDL-C and AGA (odds ratio [OR] = 2.380, P = .034). Specifically, for each unit increase in LDL-C levels, the risk of developing AGA increased by 1.38 times. No significant causal association was observed between HDL-C and AGA (inverse variance weighted method: OR = 0.810, P = .887). In the multivariable Mendelian randomization analysis, after controlling for the mutual interference between LDL-C and HDL-C, the positive causal effect of LDL-C on AGA remained significant (OR = 2.473, P = .031), while HDL-C still had no significant effect (OR = 0.698, P = .305). Our study showed that elevated LDL-C levels increased the risk of developing AGA, providing exploratory evidence for the causal relationship between the 2.