Shared genetic architecture highlights the bidirectional association between major depressive disorder and fracture risk.

BACKGROUND

There is limited evidence suggesting that osteoporosis might exacerbate depressive symptoms, while more studies demonstrate that depression negatively affects bone density and increases fracture risk.

AIMS

To explore the relationship between major depressive disorder (MDD) and fracture risk.

METHODS

We conducted a nested case-control analysis (32 670 patients with fracture and 397 017 individuals without fracture) and a matched cohort analysis (16 496 patients with MDD and 435 492 individuals without MDD) in the same prospective UK Biobank data set. Further, we investigated the shared genetic architecture between MDD and fracture with linkage disequilibrium score regression and the MiXeR statistical tools. We used the conditional/conjunctional false discovery rate approach to identify the specific shared loci. We calculated the weighted genetic risk score for individuals in the UK Biobank and logistic regression was used to confirm the association observed in the prospective study.

RESULTS

We found that MDD was associated with a 14% increase in fracture risk (hazard ratio (HR) 1.14, 95% CI 1.14 to 1.15, p<0.001) in the nested case-control analysis, while fracture was associated with a 72% increase in MDD risk (HR 1.72, 95% CI 1.64 to 1.79, p<0.001) in the matched cohort analysis, suggesting a longitudinal and bidirectional relationship. Further, genetic summary data suggested a genetic overlap between MDD and fracture. Specifically, we identified four shared genomic loci, with the top signal (rs7554101) near . The protein encoded by is involved in cannabinoid receptor type 1 signalling. We found that genetically predicted MDD was associated with a higher risk of fracture and . In addition, we found that the higher expression level of in the spinal cord and muscle was associated with an increased risk of fracture and MDD.

CONCLUSIONS

The genetic pleiotropy between MDD and fracture highlights the bidirectional association observed in the epidemiological analysis. The shared genetic components (such as ) between the diseases suggest that modulating the endocannabinoid system could be a potential therapeutic strategy for both MDD and bone loss.