Interpreting elevated liver blood test results through a genetic lens: A genome-wide association study.

chronic liver disease genetics personalized medicine prognosis risk stratification

Journal

Liver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver
ISSN: 1478-3231
Titre abrégé: Liver Int
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 101160857

Informations de publication

Date de publication:
19 Oct 2024
Historique:
revised: 10 09 2024
received: 21 06 2024
accepted: 12 09 2024
medline: 19 10 2024
pubmed: 19 10 2024
entrez: 19 10 2024
Statut: aheadofprint

Résumé

Individuals with genetic polymorphisms in UGT1A1 exhibit bilirubin levels that belie their risk of liver disease (Gilbert's syndrome) but it is not known if this phenomenon extends to other common liver blood tests (LBTs). A genome-wide association analysis of 10 LBTs was conducted using the UK biobank. Polygenic scores (PGS) were created from discordant loci (e.g. loci associated with the LBT but not associated with cirrhosis morbidity risk). Participants were assigned to a low, intermediate or high PGS for each LBT. A high PGS approximates Gilbert's syndrome (i.e. elevated LBT without an analogous increase in disease risk). The prognostic significance of an 'elevated' LBT-and how this differs by PGS-was assessed through competing risk survival analysis. This study included 157 005 and 166 871 participants for the discovery and validation phases, respectively. Elevated LBTs were more prevalent in the high versus low PGS group, yet the 10-year risk of cirrhosis morbidity was comparable. For example, in the low PGS group, 4.3% had an elevated gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) and the 10-year risk of cirrhosis morbidity was .45%. Conversely, in the high PGS group, 21.2% had an elevated GGT and the 10-year risk was .38%. Accordingly, the 10-year risk of cirrhosis morbidity for individuals with an elevated GGT was markedly different in the low vs. high group (4.2% vs. 1.2%; p < .001). Similar results were apparent for Fibrosis-4 index, total bilirubin, and platelet count. Variability in LBTs is influenced by genetic polymorphisms that have a neutral effect on disease risk. These findings have implications for interpreting elevated LBTs in clinical practice.

Sections du résumé

BACKGROUND AND AIMS OBJECTIVE
Individuals with genetic polymorphisms in UGT1A1 exhibit bilirubin levels that belie their risk of liver disease (Gilbert's syndrome) but it is not known if this phenomenon extends to other common liver blood tests (LBTs).
METHODS METHODS
A genome-wide association analysis of 10 LBTs was conducted using the UK biobank. Polygenic scores (PGS) were created from discordant loci (e.g. loci associated with the LBT but not associated with cirrhosis morbidity risk). Participants were assigned to a low, intermediate or high PGS for each LBT. A high PGS approximates Gilbert's syndrome (i.e. elevated LBT without an analogous increase in disease risk). The prognostic significance of an 'elevated' LBT-and how this differs by PGS-was assessed through competing risk survival analysis.
RESULTS RESULTS
This study included 157 005 and 166 871 participants for the discovery and validation phases, respectively. Elevated LBTs were more prevalent in the high versus low PGS group, yet the 10-year risk of cirrhosis morbidity was comparable. For example, in the low PGS group, 4.3% had an elevated gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) and the 10-year risk of cirrhosis morbidity was .45%. Conversely, in the high PGS group, 21.2% had an elevated GGT and the 10-year risk was .38%. Accordingly, the 10-year risk of cirrhosis morbidity for individuals with an elevated GGT was markedly different in the low vs. high group (4.2% vs. 1.2%; p < .001). Similar results were apparent for Fibrosis-4 index, total bilirubin, and platelet count.
CONCLUSION CONCLUSIONS
Variability in LBTs is influenced by genetic polymorphisms that have a neutral effect on disease risk. These findings have implications for interpreting elevated LBTs in clinical practice.

Identifiants

pubmed: 39425533
doi: 10.1111/liv.16114
doi:

Types de publication

Journal Article

Langues

eng

Sous-ensembles de citation

IM

Subventions

Organisme : UK Research and Innovation
Organisme : MRF
Pays : United Kingdom

Informations de copyright

© 2024 The Author(s). Liver International published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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Auteurs

Hamish Innes (H)

School of Health and Life Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK.
BBV/STI team, Public Health Scotland, Glasgow, UK.
Lifespan and Population Health, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.

Stephan Buch (S)

Medical Department 1, University Hospital Dresden, Dresden, TU, Germany.

Timothy J Kendall (TJ)

Centre for Inflammation Research, Institute for Regeneration and Repair, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Edinburgh Pathology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.

Jonathan A Fallowfield (JA)

Centre for Inflammation Research, Institute for Regeneration and Repair, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.

Indra Neil Guha (IN)

NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.

Classifications MeSH