Causal Insights into the Role of Inflammatory Factors in Stress Urinary Incontinence: A Mendelian Randomization Study

Background Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is a common condition in women, potentially influenced by inflammation, though its causal relationship remains unclear. Methods We performed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis using genome-wide association study (GWAS) data to assess the causal effects of inflammatory markers on SUI. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) served as instrumental variables, and the inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method was the primary estimator. Sensitivity analyses, including heterogeneity testing, pleiotropy checks, and leave-one-out analysis, ensured result robustness. The Steiger test confirmed causal directionality. Results F3 [IVW: OR = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.09–2.01, p = 0.01] was identified as a risk factor, while RELA [IVW: OR = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.46–1.02, p = 0.04] was protective. Sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of these results. Steiger directionality testing was also used to confirm the directional accuracy of the associations between inflammatory factors and SUI. Conclusion Our results suggest a potential causal role of systemic inflammation in SUI, providing insights into its mechanisms and therapeutic targets.