TY - JOUR

T1 - Genetic liability to major depression and risk of childhood asthma

AU - Liu, Xiaoqin

AU - Munk-Olsen, Trine

AU - Albiñana, Clara

AU - Vilhjálmsson, Bjarni J.

AU - Pedersen, Emil M.

AU - Schlünssen, Vivi

AU - Bækvad-Hansen, Marie

AU - Bybjerg-Grauholm, Jonas

AU - Nordentoft, Merete

AU - Børglum, Anders D.

AU - Werge, Thomas

AU - Hougaard, David M.

AU - Mortensen, Preben B.

AU - Agerbo, Esben

PY - 2020

Y1 - 2020

N2 - Objective: Major depression and asthma frequently co-occur, suggesting shared genetic vulnerability between these two disorders. We aimed to determine whether a higher genetic liability to major depression was associated with increased childhood asthma risk, and if so, whether such an association differed by sex of the child. Methods: We conducted a population-based cohort study comprising 16,687 singletons born between 1991 and 2005 in Denmark. We calculated the polygenic risk score (PRS) for major depression as a measure of genetic liability based on the summary statistics from the Major Depressive Disorder Psychiatric Genomics Consortium collaboration. The outcome was incident asthma from age 5 to 15 years, identified from the Danish National Patient Registry and the Danish National Prescription Registry. Stratified Cox regression was used to analyze the data. Results: Greater genetic liability to major depression was associated with an increased asthma risk with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.06 (95% CI: 1.01–1.10) per standard deviation increase in PRS. Children in the highest major depression PRS quartile had a HR for asthma of 1.20 (95% CI: 1.06–1.36), compared with children in the lowest quartile. However, major depression PRS explained only 0.03% of asthma variance (Pseudo-R2). The HRs of asthma by major depression PRS did not differ between boys and girls. Conclusion: Our results suggest a shared genetic contribution to major depression and childhood asthma, and there is no evidence of a sex-specific difference in the association.

AB - Objective: Major depression and asthma frequently co-occur, suggesting shared genetic vulnerability between these two disorders. We aimed to determine whether a higher genetic liability to major depression was associated with increased childhood asthma risk, and if so, whether such an association differed by sex of the child. Methods: We conducted a population-based cohort study comprising 16,687 singletons born between 1991 and 2005 in Denmark. We calculated the polygenic risk score (PRS) for major depression as a measure of genetic liability based on the summary statistics from the Major Depressive Disorder Psychiatric Genomics Consortium collaboration. The outcome was incident asthma from age 5 to 15 years, identified from the Danish National Patient Registry and the Danish National Prescription Registry. Stratified Cox regression was used to analyze the data. Results: Greater genetic liability to major depression was associated with an increased asthma risk with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.06 (95% CI: 1.01–1.10) per standard deviation increase in PRS. Children in the highest major depression PRS quartile had a HR for asthma of 1.20 (95% CI: 1.06–1.36), compared with children in the lowest quartile. However, major depression PRS explained only 0.03% of asthma variance (Pseudo-R2). The HRs of asthma by major depression PRS did not differ between boys and girls. Conclusion: Our results suggest a shared genetic contribution to major depression and childhood asthma, and there is no evidence of a sex-specific difference in the association.

KW - Asthma

KW - Cohort study

KW - Genetic liability

KW - Major depression

KW - Polygenic risk score

KW - Population-based

U2 - 10.1016/j.bbi.2020.07.030

DO - 10.1016/j.bbi.2020.07.030

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 32735934

AN - SCOPUS:85088982761

VL - 89

SP - 433

EP - 439

JO - Brain, Behavior, and Immunity

JF - Brain, Behavior, and Immunity

SN - 0889-1591

ER -