Two sample Mendelian randomization analysis of the causal relationship between hypertension and vertigo

Abstract Background Vertigo is not a specific disease, but a symptom, and abnormalities in vestibular function in vertigo may be caused by different pathologies rather than the same etiology, which also leads to different affected groups. At present, there have been many studies that surface a link between hypertension and vertigo, but there are still few studies that analyze genes from a genetic perspective.Therefore, in order to investigate the causal link between hypertension and vertigo, we apply Mendelian randomization in this work. Methods The genetically anticipated causal connection between hypertension and vertigo was evaluated using a two-sample MR method. In addition to analysing the link between total vertigo and hypertension, we also analysed 3 major types of vertigo, including central vertigo, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, and other peripheral vertigo. Data on hypertension and vertigo were taken from genome-wide association study (GWAS), including 162837 controls and 55917 cases. Central vertigo, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, and other peripheral vertigo, with 186,3834,1293 cases and 209582 controls, respectively. To fully deduce the potential causative association between hypertension and vertigo, the inverse variance weighting approach (IVW) and other efficient methods, such as MR-Egger, weighted median, and simple mode, were used. Results Finally, 53 genome-wide significant SNPs associated with hypertension were identified as instrumental variables for subsequent Mendelian randomization analysis. The MR results showed that hypertension and vertigo risk were significantly positively correlated with vertigo (OR: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.08–1.25, p < 0.05 ), benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (OR: 1.12, CI: 1.01–1.24, and p = 0.03), and other peripheral vertigo (OR: 1.19, 95% CI: 1.00-1.41, p = 0.046),except central vertigo (OR: 1.15, 95% CI: 0.74–1.80, p = 0.53). Conclusion The genetic confirmation of a causal link between hypertension and vertigo came from this MR analysis. In order to avoid potentially negative vertigo consequences, our findings emphasize the significance of more intensive care and early intervention for patients with hypertension. Additionally, our work offers hints for determining risk factors and early vertigo prediction.