The causal associations of serum uric acid levels and gout with the risk of acute pancreatitis: A bidirectional Mendelian randomization study

This study investigates the causal links between serum uric acid (UA), gout, and the risk of acute pancreatitis (AP) using a bidirectional 2-sample Mendelian randomization analysis of genome-wide association studies data. The primary inverse variance weighted method indicated that genetically predicted higher serum UA levels are causally associated with an increased risk of AP (odds ratio [OR] = 1.194, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.020–1.399, P = .027). Conversely, the reverse Mendelian randomization analysis suggested a potential weak inverse association, with genetically predicted AP linked to slightly lower serum UA levels (OR = 0.989, 95% CI: 0.978–1.000, P = .043). Regarding gout, we found no statistically significant evidence to support a causal relationship in either direction: from gout to AP (OR = 0.015, 95% CI: 0.000–1.231, P = .062) or from AP to gout (OR = 1.001, 95% CI: 1.000–1.002, P = .217). These results support a causal role for elevated UA in AP pathogenesis, suggesting its relevance in risk assessment, while gout itself does not appear to be a causal factor for AP.