Key result
Genetically elevated IL-20, LIF, and SLAM linked to up to ~38% higher rotator cuff tear risk.
Why the study?
Previous research suggests a link between inflammatory proteins and rotator cuff tears, but the specific causal proteins remain unclear.
Do genetically predicted elevated levels of circulating inflammatory proteins increase the risk of rotator cuff tears?
Observational (n=14,824)
Mendelian randomization
Do genetically predicted elevated levels of circulating inflammatory proteins increase the risk of rotator cuff tears?
Odds Ratio: 1.225 (95% CI 1.036–1.45)
p-value: p=0.044
Genetically predicted elevated levels of IL-20, LIF, and SLAM are associated with an increased risk of rotator cuff tears, suggesting a potential role for systemic inflammation in tendon degeneration.
IL-20 levels may associate with rotator cuff tears; hypothesis-generating and requires validation before clinical relevance.
Previous research suggests a link between inflammatory proteins and rotator cuff tears, but the specific protein remains unclear. This two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study used genetic variants from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 14,824 primarily European participants. We analyzed 91 circulating inflammatory proteins using inverse variance weighting (IVW) and validated results with MR-Egger, the weighted median approach, and sensitivity tests. MR analysis identified three inflammatory proteins with significant associations in the IVW analysis: Interleukin-20 (IL-20) levels (OR = 1.225, 95% CI = 1.036 - 1.450, P = 0.044), Leukemia inhibitory factor levels (LIF) (OR = 1.380, 95% CI = 1.008 - 1.889, P = 0.044), and Signaling lymphocytic activation molecule (SLAM) (OR = 1.183, 95% CI = 1.059 - 1.321, P = 0.015). Elevated IL-20, LIF and SLAM increased the risk of rotator cuff tears. This MR study reveals a potential association between IL-20, LIF and SLAM and the risk of rotator cuff tears, providing insights into their pathogenesis and potential therapeutic targets.
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Wang et al. (2025) conducted an observational in Rotator cuff tears (n=14,824). Elevated circulating inflammatory proteins (IL-20, LIF, SLAM) vs. Unexposed/reference group was evaluated on Risk of rotator cuff tears (OR 1.225, 95% CI 1.036-1.450, p=0.044). Genetically predicted elevated levels of Interleukin-20 (OR 1.225), Leukemia inhibitory factor (OR 1.380), and Signaling lymphocytic activation molecule (OR 1.183) significantly increased the risk of rotator cuff tears.
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