Association of Childhood Exposure to Nitrogen Dioxide and Polygenic Risk Score for Schizophrenia with the Risk of Developing Schizophrenia

Henriette Thisted Horsdal*, Esben Agerbo, John Joseph McGrath, Bjarni Jóhann Vilhjálmsson, Sussie Antonsen, Ane Marie Closter, Allan Timmermann, Jakob Grove, Pearl L.H. Mok, Roger T. Webb, Clive Eric Sabel, Ole Hertel, Torben Sigsgaard, Christian Erikstrup, David Michael Hougaard, Thomas Werge, Merete Nordentoft, Anders Dupont Børglum, Ole Mors, Preben Bo MortensenJørgen Brandt, Camilla Geels, Carsten Bøcker Pedersen

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Importance: Schizophrenia is a highly heritable psychiatric disorder, and recent studies have suggested that exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) during childhood is associated with an elevated risk of subsequently developing schizophrenia. However, it is not known whether the increased risk associated with NO2 exposure is owing to a greater genetic liability among those exposed to highest NO2 levels. Objective: To examine the associations between childhood NO2 exposure and genetic liability for schizophrenia (as measured by a polygenic risk score), and risk of developing schizophrenia. Design, Setting, and Participants: Population-based cohort study including individuals with schizophrenia (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision code F20) and a randomly selected subcohort. Using national registry data, all individuals born in Denmark between May 1, 1981, and December 31, 2002, were followed up from their 10th birthday until the first occurrence of schizophrenia, emigration, death, or December 31, 2012, whichever came first. Statistical analyses were conducted between October 24, 2018, and June 17, 2019. Exposures: Individual exposure to NO2 during childhood estimated as mean daily exposure to NO2 at residential addresses from birth to the 10th birthday. Polygenic risk scores were calculated as the weighted sum of risk alleles at selected single-nucleotide polymorphisms based on genetic material obtained from dried blood spot samples from the Danish Newborn Screening Biobank and on the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium genome-wide association study summary statistics file. Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcome was schizophrenia. Weighted Cox proportional hazards regression models were fitted to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (AHRs) for schizophrenia with 95% CIs according to the exposures. Results: Of a total of 23355 individuals, 11976 (51.3%) were male and all had Danish-born parents. During the period of the study, 3531 were diagnosed with schizophrenia. Higher polygenic risk scores were correlated with higher childhood NO2 exposure (ρ = 0.0782; 95% CI, 0.065-0.091; P <.001). A 10-μg/m3 increase in childhood daily NO2 exposure (AHR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.15-1.32) and a 1-SD increase in polygenic risk score (AHR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.23-1.35) were independently associated with increased schizophrenia risk. Conclusions and Relevance: These findings suggest that the apparent association between NO2 exposure and schizophrenia is only slightly confounded by a higher polygenic risk score for schizophrenia among individuals living in areas with greater NO2. The findings demonstrate the utility of including polygenic risk scores in epidemiologic studies..

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere1914401
JournalJAMA network open
Volume2
Issue number11
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 11 Nov 2019

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Medicine

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