Comparison of Concordance of Peptic Ulcer Disease, Non-Adenomatous Intestinal Polyp, and Gallstone Disease in Korean Monozygotic and Dizygotic Twins: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Epidemiological studies have suggested the role of multiple genetic and environmental factors in the development of non-neoplastic gastrointestinal (GI) diseases; however, little information is available on these factors in the Korean population. Therefore, this cross-sectional study explored the effect of these factors by analyzing the concordance of several benign GI disorders in 525 monozygotic twins compared to that in 122 dizygotic twins aged >20 years from the Healthy Twin Study data of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (2005–2014). Chi-square test, Wilcoxon rank-sum, and binomial and multinomial logistic regression models were used for statistical analysis. There was lack of concordance of gastric/duodenal ulcers and cholelithiasis/cholangitis between monozygotic twins compared to that in dizygotic twins, suggesting that environmental factors may mediate those concordant disease expressions in monozygotic twins. The concordance of intestinal polyps in monozygotic twins was 32% lower than that in dizygotic twins (p = 0.028), indicating that the effect of genetic factors on the risk for intestinal polyp development may be low. In conclusion, the lack or low concordance of several benign GI diseases between monozygotic and dizygotic twin groups suggests the relative importance of environmental factors, indicating that these are preventable diseases.

Exploring the Link between Chronic Kidney Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease: A Longitudinal Follow-Up Study Using the Korean National Health Screening Cohort

“…The study categorized participants into 10 age groups, with each group representing a 5-year interval, and five income groups ranging from class 1 (lowest income) to class 5 (highest income) [ 45 ]. The researchers categorized the participants’ residential areas as either urban or rural using the same methodology as in a previous study [ 46 , 47 ]. The study used the same categorization method as a previous study for three variables: tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, and obesity, which was based on the participant’s body mass index in kg/m 2 [ 48 ].…”

Comparison of the Concordance of Allergic Diseases between Monozygotic and Dizygotic Twins: A Cross-Sectional Study Using KoGES HTS Data

“…The institutional review board waived the requirement for obtaining written consent. The cohort study drew information collected between 2005 and 2014 from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES, http://www.nih.go.kr/NIH/eng/main.jsp, accessed on 1 June 2022), which commenced in 2001 [20][21][22][23]. The data used was taken from the KoGES Healthy Twin Study (HTS), which was a part of the KoGES consortium (baseline and follow-up data from 2005 to 2013 and from 2008 to 2014, respectively) [23].…”