How Education Shapes Autoimmune Disease Risk: Evidence from Mendelian Randomization and Epidemiology
Main Article Content
Abstract
Autoimmune diseases represent a major cause of chronic disability worldwide and arise from complex interactions between genetic, environmental, and social determinants. Among these factors, educational attainment has emerged as an important predictor of immune-mediated disease risk. This review synthesizes current evidence on the relationship between education and autoimmune diseases, with specific emphasis on Mendelian randomization studies, which use genetic variants as instruments to strengthen causal inference. A structured literature search identified genetic instrumental-variable analyses and observational studies evaluating education and autoimmune disease susceptibility. Consistent Mendelian randomization findings demonstrate that higher educational attainment reduces the risk of rheumatoid arthritis by approximately 50–60 percent, with nearly half of this protective effect mediated by modifiable factors such as smoking and body mass index. Emerging evidence for systemic lupus erythematosus, autoimmune thyroid disease, and psoriasis suggests similar protective trends, while associations with type 1 diabetes and latent autoimmune diabetes in adults appear heterogeneous. Educational attainment also influences autoimmune disease risk indirectly through occupational exposures, health behaviors, and systemic inflammation. Understanding these pathways highlights opportunities for prevention through behavioral, environmental, and policy-level interventions aimed at reducing disparities in autoimmune disease.
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