Type 2 diabetes as a risk factor for promoting hypertrophic scar formation after wound healing: a two-sample mendelian randomization study

Individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) not only face the risk of difficult wound healing after trauma or surgery but also struggle with scar formation after wound healing. However, the relationship between T2DM and hypertrophic scars (HS) remains unclear. First, the data sets related to T2DM and HS were downloaded from the OpenGWAS database. Second, the inverse variance-weighted (IVW) technique was employed to assess the causal impact of T2DM on HS utilizing mendelian randomization (MR). Finally, sensitivity analyses and reverse MR analyses were performed to determine the robustness of the findings and to examine the potential for reverse causation. A positive causal relationship between T2DM and HS was observed. Three suitable datasets for T2DM analysis were obtained using the ids ebi-a-GCST006867, ebi-a-GCST007515, and ebi-a-GCST007516 (A total of 206,572 cases and 753,191 controls were included). The HS (finn-b-L12_HYPETROPHICSCAR) dataset comprised 766 cases and 207,482 controls. The IVW model results showed odds ratio (OR) of 1.213 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.04-1.41, p = 0.0137), 1.300 (95% CI: 1.05-1.61, p = 0.017), and 1.284 (95% CI: 1.03-1.60, p = 0.0276), respectively. The analysis results were stable without any significant bias or reverse causality. This study systematically explored the causal relationship between T2DM and the risk of HS for the first time, and provided a quantitative effect assessment. The results showed consistency, which indicated the potential biological mechanism and clinical intervention direction.