Advances in the application of Mendelian randomization in investigating the etiologies of common diseases in the elderly / 中华老年医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Mendelian randomization is a genetic epidemiological method for confounding adjustment of cross-sectional data by introducing genotypes as instrumental variables of exposure factors and possesses unique advantages for the adjustment of unmeasured and unknown confounding factors.In recent years, Mendelian randomization has been widely used and achieved rapid progress in the etiology research of common diseases in the elderly.This article reviews this method and its application in these diseases, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease and malignant tumor.