Evidence mapPaperPMID 41311028Full record

ArticleJournal of diabetes investigation2026

Causal association between circulating leukocyte characteristics and diabetic retinopathy based on two-sample Mendelian randomization.

Yan Wang, Yunxian Gao, Zhiqiang Wang, Luhua Wu, Lixia Guo, Xiaoqiang Zhang, Jiaxin Wu, Shanshan Shang

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Article in Journal of diabetes investigation, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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5 · Who and what money

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8 authors.

Yan WangDepartment of Ophthalmology, Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Regional, Ürümqi, Xinjiang, China.
Yunxian GaoDepartment of Ophthalmology, Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Regional, Ürümqi, Xinjiang, China.
Zhiqiang WangDepartment of Ophthalmology, Beijing University Of Chinese Medicine Third Affiliated Hospital, Beijing, China.
Luhua WuDepartment of Ophthalmology, Beijing University Of Chinese Medicine Third Affiliated Hospital, Beijing, China.
Lixia GuoDepartment of Ophthalmology, Beijing University Of Chinese Medicine Third Affiliated Hospital, Beijing, China.
Xiaoqiang ZhangDepartment of Ophthalmology, Binzhou Hubin Aier Eye Hospital, Binzhou, China.
Jiaxin WuBeijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
Shanshan ShangDepartment of Ophthalmology, Beijing University Of Chinese Medicine Third Affiliated Hospital, Beijing, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7515-1610

Funding

Major Central Government Projects with Significant Budgetary Impact, Sustainable Utilization Capacity Building Project for Precious Chinese Medicinal Resources 2060302-2303-21Mayinglong Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd. 303-02-317
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

AIMS/

introductionLeukocytes are implicated in the inflammatory cascades of diabetic retinopathy (DR), but their causal roles remain ambiguous. This study employed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to dissect the causal effects of circulating leukocyte counts on DR risk. MATERIALS AND

methodsWe utilized summary statistics from large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for five leukocyte subtypes and DR in European-ancestry populations. The inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method was primary, supported by comprehensive sensitivity analyses including MR-Egger, weighted median, and the MR-Pleiotropy Residual Sum and Outlier (MR-PRESSO) test to ensure result robustness.

resultsA total of 2,136 leukocyte-related SNPs were extracted as instrumental variables for causal inference. MR analysis revealed that increased lymphocyte counts are associated with reduced DR risk (IVW OR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.86-0.99, P = 0.03), while the initial association between higher eosinophil counts and DR risk (IVW OR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.03-1.19, P < 0.01) was attenuated following correction for outliers. No significant associations were observed for basophil, monocyte, or neutrophil counts. Sensitivity analyses found no evidence of pleiotropy or substantial influence from single SNPs.

conclusionsOur findings provide genetic evidence supporting a potential causal association between lymphocyte counts and diabetic retinopathy risk, while the association for eosinophil counts was attenuated after correction for outliers. These results highlight the importance of further investigating the physiological role of lymphocytes in diabetic retinopathy to inform effective prevention and treatment strategies.

Indexed as

Diabetic RetinopathyLeukocytesMendelian Randomization AnalysisGenetic Predisposition to DiseaseGenome-Wide Association StudyHumansLeukocyte CountPolymorphism, Single NucleotideDiabetic retinopathyLeukocyteMendelian randomization

Identifiers

PMID41311028
PMCPMC12863003

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