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.