Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Is Associated With Type 1 Diabetes: A Two‐Sample Mendelian Randomization Study

ABSTRACT Background The pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) remains unclear; previous studies revealed the underlying connection between IPF and diabetes, but there is no consensual opinion. This study is aimed at examining the association between Type 1 diabetes (T1D) and IPF using Mendelian randomization (MR). Method In our two‐sample MR study, we selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are strongly associated with T1D in a genome‐wide association study (GWAS) from IEU (dataset: ebi‐a‐GCST005536) and obtained their corresponding effect estimates on T1D risk in an IPF GWAS from IEU (dataset: finn‐b‐IPF). We conducted a multivariable Mendelian randomization (MVMR) analysis to eliminate the interference of aging. Result In the outcome of inverse‐variance weighted (IVW) method, T1D showed a promoting effect on IPF (odds ratio (OR): 1.132, p = 0.005). The statistics passed the MR‐PRESSO test, and no outliers were observed (global test p = 0.238). MVMR study was performed, and the aging‐adjusted result remains almost the same (OR = 1.132, OR_95% CI: 1.034–1.239, p = 0.007). Conclusion Our study shows a causal relation between T1D and IPF; further investigation should be conducted.