Key result
Valvular heart disease is genetically linked to gastrointestinal disorders including GERD and IBS.
Why the study?
The genetic link and shared mechanisms between gastrointestinal disorders and valvular heart disease were not well clarified.
Observational
Gastrointestinal disorders and valvular heart disease share genetic pathways and microbial influences, suggesting a common etiology for their comorbidity.
Shared genetic correlations between valvular heart disease and GI disorders are hypothesis-generating; causal and clinical relevance require prospective validation.
This study explores the genetic link between gastrointestinal disorders and valvular heart disease (VHD), aiming to clarify shared mechanisms through a genome-wide pleiotropy analysis. We assessed the genetic correlation between six gastrointestinal disorders-including GERD, IBS, PUD, IBD, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis-and VHD, employing methods like linkage disequilibrium score regression and pleiotropic analysis under a composite null hypothesis. Our results show significant genetic correlations, particularly with GERD (rg = 0.211), IBS (rg = 0.23), and PUD (rg = 0.21). Fifteen variants and 64 genes were identified with pleiotropic effects, implicating pathways associated with other conditions like heart defects and dermatitis. Additionally, gut microbiota, specifically Butyricicoccus, showed a causal effect on VHD and GERD. This study underscores that gastrointestinal-VHD comorbidity may stem from shared genetic pathways and microbial influences.
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Xu et al. (2025) conducted an observational in Gastrointestinal disorders and valvular heart diseases. Genetic liability to gastrointestinal disorders was evaluated on Genetic correlation between gastrointestinal disorders and valvular heart diseases (rg = 0.211 (GORD), rg = 0.227 (IBS), rg = 0.2104 (PUD), p=5.41x10^-12 (GORD)). Valvular heart disease showed significant positive genetic correlations with gastrointestinal disorders, particularly gastro-esophageal reflux disease (rg = 0.211), irritable bowel syndrome (rg = 0.227), and peptic ulcer disease (rg = 0.210).
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