Gupta V, Walia G K, Sachdeva M P
Department of Anthropology, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007, India.
Public Health Foundation of India, Gurgaon 122002, India.
Public Health. 2017 Apr;145:113-119. doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2016.12.033. Epub 2017 Jan 21.
To assess the current status of Mendelian randomization (MR) approach in effectively influencing the observational epidemiology for examining causal relationships.
Narrative review on studies related to principle, strengths, limitations, and achievements of MR approach.
Observational epidemiological studies have repeatedly produced several beneficiary associations which were discarded when tested by standard randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The technique which is more feasible, highly similar to RCTs, and has the potential to establish a causal relationship between modifiable exposures and disease outcomes is known as MR. The technique uses genetic variants related to modifiable traits/exposures as instruments for detecting causal and directional associations with outcomes.
In the last decade, the approach of MR has methodologically developed and progressed to a stage of high acceptance among the epidemiologists and is gradually expanding the landscape of causal relationships in non-communicable chronic diseases.
评估孟德尔随机化（MR）方法在有效影响观察性流行病学以检验因果关系方面的现状。
对与MR方法的原理、优势、局限性及成果相关的研究进行叙述性综述。
观察性流行病学研究反复得出了一些有益的关联，但在标准随机对照试验（RCT）检验时却被否定。MR是一种更可行、与RCT高度相似且有潜力在可改变的暴露因素与疾病结局之间建立因果关系的技术。该技术使用与可改变的性状/暴露因素相关的基因变异作为工具来检测与结局的因果和方向性关联。
在过去十年中，MR方法在方法学上得到了发展，并进展到在流行病学家中获得高度认可的阶段，且正在逐步拓展非传染性慢性病因果关系的研究领域。
