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Background: Observational studies have suggested that childhood body mass index (BMI) is associated with the risk of psoriasis. However, their causal relationship remains unclear. In this investigation, we aimed to determine whether an association exists between childhood BMI and psoriasis. Methods: Using summary statistics for childhood BMI of European descent from publicly available GWAS meta‐analyses (n = 39 620), we conducted Mendelian randomization (MR) research using the inverse variance weighting (IVW), weighted median, and MR‐Egger regression techniques. The outcome was a genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) for the self‐reported non‐cancer disease classification psoriasis in the UK Biobank population (total n = 337 159; case = 3871; control = 333 288). Results: We selected instrumental variables from 16 single‐molecule polymorphisms that attained genome‐wide significance in GWAS on childhood BMI. Using the IVW method, our findings supported a causal relationship between childhood BMI and psoriasis (beta = 0.003, standard error [SE] = 0.001, p = 0.006). Using MR‐Egger regression analysis, we evaluated the potential for directional pleiotropy to bias our results (intercept = 0.00039, p‐value = 0.247) and found no causal relationship between childhood BMI and psoriasis (beta = −0.002, SE = 0.004, p = 0.625). The weighted median method, however, provided proof of a causal relationship (beta = 0.003, SE = 0.001, p = 0.029). Cochran's Q test and the funnel plot revealed little proof of heterogeneity or asymmetry, indicating the lack of directional pleiotropy. Conclusion: According to the findings of the MR analysis, an increased childhood BMI may be linked to a higher likelihood of psoriasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Newly emerging evidence indicates that body mass index (BMI) is a potential risk factor for autoimmune diseases (ADs). Nevertheless, the exact causal connection between ADs and BMI in children remains uncertain. To investigate the relationship between BMI in children and ADs, a 2-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was conducted. In this analysis, several regression methods were utilized, including the inverse-variance weighted (IVW), weighted mode, weighted median, and MR-Egger regression. Publicly available summary statistics datasets from meta-analyses of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were employed, specifically focusing on BMI in children of European descent (n = 39,620) from the UK Biobank (ebi-a-GCST90002409) as the exposure group. The outcomes were derived from individuals included in the Finnish biobank study FinnGen, with 42,202 cases and 176,590 controls representing the ADs group (finngen&#95;R5&#95;AUTOIMMUNE). For instrumental variables, we carefully selected 16 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from GWAS on BMI in children. Our analysis implemented the IVW method, which demonstrated supporting evidence for a causal association between BMI in children and ADs. The results indicated a significant effect with a beta coefficient of 0.22, standard error (SE) of 0.05, odds ratio (OR) of 1.25, and a 95% confidence interval (CI) ranging from 1.13 to 1.38, with a P-value of <.05. We also utilized the weighted median method, which yielded similar findings to the IVW method. The OR estimates from the weighted median analysis showed a beta coefficient of 0.20, SE of 0.06, OR of 1.22, and a 95% CI ranging from 1.08 to 1.36, with a P-value of <.05. No significant association was observed in the MR-Egger and Weighted mode analyses. The findings from the MR analysis suggest that there is evidence supporting a potential causal link between BMI in children and an increased susceptibility to ADs., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)