Biomakers for acute appendicitis: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study

AimThe causal link between acute appendicitis (AA) and a specific biomarker that can serve as an early diagnostic indicator remains unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate potential causal effects of AA on various biomarkers using Mendelian randomization. MethodsWe performed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses using summary-level genome-wide association study (GWAS) data to explore the acute appendicitis on potential causal effects of 26 different biomarkers. A systematic evaluation and meta-analysis were performed for the positive biomarkers to assess the diagnostic accuracy for AA. ResultsStatistically significant association between the occurrence of AA and elevated levels of fibrinogen (FIB) (OR 1.1462, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.0120 to 1.2982, P = 0.0318) and platelet count (PLT) (OR 1.0198, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.0035 to 1.0363, P = 0.0169). The p-values of MR-Egger intercept analysis and Cochrans Q test were both above 0.05. SROC curve of FIB and PLT in diagnosing AA were 0.75 [0.71-0.79] and 0.66 [0.61-0.70], respectively. ConclusionFIB and PLT have the potential to serve as early diagnostic biomarkers for acute appendicitis. However, further studies are required to determine the cut-off value and accuracy of their combined use in diagnosing acute appendicitis.