The following is a summary of “Mendelian randomization reveals causal effect of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis on immune thrombocytopenic purpura,” published in the April 2025 issue of Hematology by Yao et al. 

Patients with immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) often show thyroid antigen-specific antibodies. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to assess the causal link between hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) and ITP.  

They applied 2-sample Mendelian randomization (TSMR) to assess the causal link between HT and ITP in Europeans. About 5 methods were used: inverse variance weighted (IVW), Mendelian Randomization-Egger (MR-Egger), weighted median, weighted mode, and one additional. Risk genes for HT and ITP were identified through mendelian randomization (MR), and common genes were analyzed using bioinformatics. 

The results showed a causal link between HT and ITP (odds ratio (OR) = 1.22; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01–1.49; P = 0.046). Gene eQTL data were from the IEU database. MR analysis identified 32 common risk genes, including 12 high-risk and 20 low-risk. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome (KEGG) analysis showed links to antigen processing and infections. 

Investigators demonstrated that HT may have increased the risk of ITP and revealed the role of common risk genes in the development of both diseases. 

Source: tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16078454.2025.2484959#abstract