Figure 1
Flowchart depicting the systematic framework used to investigate the associations between DMARD target genes and cardiovascular diseases. Abbreviations: IVs, instrumental variables; CRP, C-reactive protein; GWAS, genome-wide association studies; HDL cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; MR, Mendelian randomization; IVW, inverse-variance weighted; SMR, summary-based Mendelian randomization.
Figure 2
Forest plots showing the causal effects of the 12 DMARD target genes on cardiovascular diseases, with blue indicating odds ratios (OR) < 1 (protective effects) and orange denoting OR > 1 (harmful effects). * indicates P < 0.05 in the MR-Egger intercept test. Abbreviations: AF, atrial fibrillation; CAD, coronary artery disease; MI, myocardial infarction; HF, heart failure; IS, ischemic stroke; HTN, hypertension; TC, total cholesterol; HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; TG, triglycerides; AS, aortic stenosis.
Figure 3
Gene expression analysis of DMARD target genes in relation to cardiovascular diseases. Positive associations are shown in red, negative associations in blue, and ORs with 95% CIs are presented for results that are statistically significant and meet the HEIDI test criteria.
Figure 4
A colocalization analysis of DMARD target gene expression with cardiovascular diseases. ***Indicates strong evidence of colocalization (PPH4 ≥ 0.9), while **denotes moderate evidence (0.8 ≤ PPH4 < 0.9), and *denotes weak evidence (0.5 ≤ PPH4 < 0.8).