Disentangling the genetic overlap between ischemic stroke and obesity.

Objective: Obesity has been recognized as a risk factor for cerebrovascular diseases, with observational studies suggesting a heightened incidence of stroke. However, the genetic epidemiology field has yet to reach a consensus on the causal relationship and genetic overlap between ischemic stroke (IS) and obesity.

Methods: We utilized linkage disequilibrium score regression, high-definition likelihood, and local analysis of variant associations to assess the genetic correlation between body mass index (BMI) and IS.