Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38049874›Full record

ArticleBMC medicine2023

Polygenic risk score phenome-wide association study reveals an association between endometriosis and testosterone.

Isabelle M McGrath, International Endometriosis Genetics Consortium, Grant W Montgomery, Sally Mortlock

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
5.5field-weighted citation impact, top 4% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 20 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Whole-Exome Sequencing Improves Risk Assessments of Adult Moyamoya Disease.Journal of clinical neurology (Seoul, Korea) · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Isabelle M McGrathThe Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia. isabelle.mcgrath@uq.edu.au.ORCID 0000-0003-4244-8842
International Endometriosis Genetics Consortium
Grant W MontgomeryThe Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-4140-8139
Sally MortlockThe Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-2327-9465
The University of Queensland · AU

Funding

Medical Research Future Fund MRF1199785NHMRC Fellowship GNT1177194
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEndometriosis affects 1 in 9 women, yet it is poorly understood with long diagnostic delays, invasive diagnoses, and poor treatment outcomes. Characterised by the presence of endometrial-like tissue outside of the uterus, its main symptoms are pain and infertility. Endometriosis often co-occurs with other conditions, which may provide insights into the origins of endometriosis.

methodsHere a polygenic risk score phenome-wide association study of endometriosis was conducted in the UK Biobank to investigate the pleiotropic effects of a genetic liability to endometriosis. The relationship between the polygenic risk score for endometriosis and health conditions, blood and urine biomarkers and reproductive factors were investigated separately in females, males and females without an endometriosis diagnosis. The relationship between endometriosis and the blood and urine biomarkers was further investigated using genetic correlation and Mendelian randomisation approaches to identify causal relationships.

resultsMultiple health conditions, blood and urine biomarkers and reproductive factors were associated with genetic liability to endometriosis in each group, indicating many endometriosis comorbidities are not dependent on the physical manifestation of endometriosis. Differences in the associated traits between males and females highlighted the importance of sex-specific pathways in the overlap of endometriosis with many other traits. Notably, an association of genetic liability to endometriosis with lower testosterone levels was identified. Follow-up analysis utilising Mendelian randomisation approaches suggested lower testosterone may be causal for both endometriosis and clear cell ovarian cancer.

conclusionsThis study highlights the diversity of the pleiotropic effects of genetic risk to endometriosis irrespective of a diagnosis of endometriosis. A key finding was the identification of a causal effect of the genetic liability to lower testosterone on endometriosis using Mendelian randomisation.

Indexed as

EndometriosisBiomarkersCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleGenome-Wide Association StudyHumansMaleMendelian Randomization AnalysisMultimorbidityRisk FactorsTestosteroneBiomarkersTestosteroneEndometriosisGeneticMendelian randomisationOvarian cancerPheWASTestosterone

Identifiers

PMID38049874
PMCPMC10696845
OpenAlexW4389322901

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.