Associations between C-section and hand grip strength: an observational
analysis and genome-wide environmental interaction study
Abstract
Objective: Hand grip strength (HGS) could be taken as a biomarker for
overall health of individual. While growing evidence suggests cesarean
section (C-section) related to child health, few studies have assessed
its effect on the overall health status of offspring. Design:
Cross-sectional cohort study. Setting: UK Biobank cohort. Population: A
population-based cohort consisting of 160,635 participants for left HGS
and 160,651 for right HGS aged between 40 and 69. Methods: Regression
analyses were conducted to test the associations between C-section and
left HGS and right HGS. Then, genome-wide of environment interaction
study (GWEIS) was conducted by PLINK 2.0 to identify loci with
gene-environment (G×E) interaction effects, using C-section as an
environmental factor. FUMA platform was used for functional gene set
enrichment analysis of identified candidate genes. Main Outcome
Measures: C-sections and hand grip strength. Results: The regression
analyses showed significant associations (P <0.001) between
C-section and left and right HGS. GWEIS detected 6 significant G×E
interaction effects on left HGS, such as ADGRV1 gene, POLR3G gene, and
WASL gene. 32 significant G×E interactions effects on right HGS were
detected, such as APBB2 gene, and CRPPA gene. Comparing the analyses
results of left HGS and right HGS, identified suggestive significant
interactions between CLEC16A gene and C-section, such as rs80001954
(Pright = 5.21 × 10−8, Pleft = 1.22 × 10−7); rs117658390
(Pright = 5.43 × 10−8, Pleft = 1.09 × 10−7) and rs79479146
(Pright = 5.45 × 10−8, Pleft = 1.22 × 10−7). Gene set enrichment
analyses reported 12 GO terms, such as
GO_CENTRAL_NERVOUS_SYSTEM_DEVELOPMENT (adjusted P = 1.98 × 10−3),
and GO_HEAD_DEVELOPMENT (adjusted P = 5.09 × 10−3). Conclusion: Our
study holds potential for clarifying the functional relevance of
C-section with HGS