Association between asthma and memory loss: analysis from NHANES database and Mendelian randomization

BackgroundThis study explores the link between asthma and memory decline, with a focus on Alzheimers disease, a disease characterized by memory loss that can be intervened with asthma medication. Research design and methodsIn this study, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database combined with Mendelian randomization (MR) was utilized to explore the association between asthma and memory loss. ResultsThe asthma was significantly associated with memory loss, both as an independent exposure factor and after adjusting for various covariates (model 1: odds ratio (OR) = 1.83, 95% confidence intervals (CI) = 1.22-2.74, p = 0.004; model 2: OR = 2.06, 95% CI = 1.34-3.16, p = 0.001; model 3: OR = 1.93, 95% CI = 1.24-3.00, p = 0.004). ROC curve indicated that asthma had a good predictive effect on memory loss (AUC = 0.717). Through MR analysis, there was a significant causal effect of asthma on memory loss (OR = 1.256, 95% CI = 1.015-1.553, p < 0.05). This was consistent with NHANES analysis results, further strengthening association between the two. ConclusionMemory loss was associated with asthma, and the risk increased with the probability of asthma. This provided valuable insights for future research.