Genetically supported causality between kidney volume and kidney stones: A mendelian randomization study

Purpose: The association between kidney volume and the risk of kidney stones is unclear. Thus, we conducted a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to identify this association. Methods: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with kidney volume were obtained from publicly available genome-wide association study (GWAS) data. Inverse-variance weighted (IVW), MR-Egger, and weighted median (WM) methods were performed to assess the causal relationship between kidney volume and the risk of kidney stones. Additionally, horizontal pleiotropy and heterogeneity were detected using MR-Egger and Cochran’s Q test. Results: The results of the IVW method (pooled OR: 2.90 95% CI: 1.910–4.410, P  < 0.001) revealed a positive causal association between kidney volume and the risk of kidney stones. Conclusion: Our study provided genetic support that an increase in kidney volume may raise the risk of kidney stones.