A

Disease A

Slug:Hypermobile_Ehlers-Danlos_Syndrome
B

Disease B

Slug:Asthma
G

Causal Mechanism Graphs

Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

graph LR
    Joint_instability_and_recurrent_soft_tissue_injury["Joint instability and recurrent soft-tissue injury"]
    Joint_dislocation["Joint dislocation"]
    Candidate_extracellular_matrix_remodeling_abnormalities["Candidate extracellular matrix remodeling abnormalities"]
    Sleep_disturbance["Sleep disturbance"]
    Chronic_pain["Chronic pain"]
    Arthralgia["Arthralgia"]
    Joint_hypermobility["Joint hypermobility"]
    Myofibroblast_like_fibroblast_transition["Myofibroblast-like fibroblast transition"]

    Candidate_extracellular_matrix_remodeling_abnormalities --> Myofibroblast_like_fibroblast_transition
    Joint_instability_and_recurrent_soft_tissue_injury --> Joint_dislocation
    Joint_instability_and_recurrent_soft_tissue_injury --> Chronic_pain
    Joint_instability_and_recurrent_soft_tissue_injury --> Arthralgia
    Joint_hypermobility --> Joint_instability_and_recurrent_soft_tissue_injury
    Chronic_pain --> Sleep_disturbance

    style Joint_instability_and_recurrent_soft_tissue_injury fill:#dbeafe
    style Joint_dislocation fill:#fef3c7
    style Candidate_extracellular_matrix_remodeling_abnormalities fill:#dbeafe
    style Sleep_disturbance fill:#fef3c7
    style Chronic_pain fill:#fef3c7
    style Arthralgia fill:#fef3c7
    style Joint_hypermobility fill:#fef3c7
    style Myofibroblast_like_fibroblast_transition fill:#dbeafe

Asthma

graph LR
    Occupational_Exposures["Occupational Exposures"]
    Air_Pollution["Air Pollution"]
    Anxiety["Anxiety"]
    Airway_Inflammation["Airway Inflammation"]
    Cyanosis["Cyanosis"]
    ADAM33["ADAM33"]
    STAT3["STAT3"]
    Respiratory_Distress["Respiratory Distress"]
    Mucus_Overproduction["Mucus Overproduction"]
    Reduced_Exercise_Tolerance["Reduced Exercise Tolerance"]
    Blood_Eosinophil_Count_BEC["Blood Eosinophil Count (BEC)"]
    Prenatal_Acid_Suppressive_Medication_Exposure["Prenatal Acid-Suppressive Medication Exposure"]
    Fatigue["Fatigue"]
    Wheezing["Wheezing"]
    Exercise_Intolerance["Exercise Intolerance"]
    Bronchoconstriction["Bronchoconstriction"]
    Tobacco_Smoke["Tobacco Smoke"]
    CDHR3["CDHR3"]
    House_Dust_Mite_Allergen_Protease_Induced_Epithelial_Oxidant_Signaling["House Dust Mite Allergen Protease-Induced Epithelial Oxidant Signaling"]
    Type_2_Immune_Response___Th2_Signaling["Type 2 Immune Response / Th2 Signaling"]
    Allergens["Allergens"]
    Coughing["Coughing"]
    Early_Life_Rhinovirus_Wheezing_Illness_and_Asthma_Inception["Early-Life Rhinovirus Wheezing Illness and Asthma Inception"]
    IL13["IL13"]
    Rapid_Breathing["Rapid Breathing"]
    Chest_Tightness["Chest Tightness"]
    STAT6_Degrader_SAR448272_NX_3911["STAT6 Degrader (SAR448272/NX-3911)"]
    IL4["IL4"]
    Airway_Remodeling["Airway Remodeling"]
    Sleep_Disturbance["Sleep Disturbance"]
    SIRT1_Mediated_NAD+_Signaling_and_Protective_Deacetylation["SIRT1-Mediated NAD+ Signaling and Protective Deacetylation"]
    Hill_mechanochemical_morphoelastic_model_of_asthmatic_airway_remodelling["Hill mechanochemical morphoelastic model of asthmatic airway remodelling"]
    Winkler_integrative_bronchial_tree_model_of_asthmatic_bronchoconstriction["Winkler integrative bronchial-tree model of asthmatic bronchoconstriction"]

    Airway_Inflammation --> Bronchoconstriction
    Type_2_Immune_Response___Th2_Signaling --> Airway_Inflammation
    Type_2_Immune_Response___Th2_Signaling --> Mucus_Overproduction
    Bronchoconstriction --> Wheezing
    Bronchoconstriction --> Chest_Tightness
    Bronchoconstriction --> Rapid_Breathing
    Bronchoconstriction --> Respiratory_Distress
    Bronchoconstriction --> Cyanosis
    Bronchoconstriction --> Exercise_Intolerance
    Bronchoconstriction --> Reduced_Exercise_Tolerance
    Bronchoconstriction --> Fatigue
    Bronchoconstriction --> Anxiety
    Mucus_Overproduction --> Coughing
    Mucus_Overproduction --> Sleep_Disturbance
    SIRT1_Mediated_NAD+_Signaling_and_Protective_Deacetylation --> Type_2_Immune_Response___Th2_Signaling
    SIRT1_Mediated_NAD+_Signaling_and_Protective_Deacetylation --> Mucus_Overproduction
    SIRT1_Mediated_NAD+_Signaling_and_Protective_Deacetylation --> Airway_Remodeling
    SIRT1_Mediated_NAD+_Signaling_and_Protective_Deacetylation --> Bronchoconstriction
    Early_Life_Rhinovirus_Wheezing_Illness_and_Asthma_Inception --> Type_2_Immune_Response___Th2_Signaling
    House_Dust_Mite_Allergen_Protease_Induced_Epithelial_Oxidant_Signaling --> Airway_Inflammation
    Wheezing --> Respiratory_Distress
    Wheezing --> Reduced_Exercise_Tolerance
    Allergens --> Type_2_Immune_Response___Th2_Signaling
    Air_Pollution --> Airway_Inflammation
    Tobacco_Smoke --> Airway_Inflammation
    Occupational_Exposures --> Airway_Inflammation
    Prenatal_Acid_Suppressive_Medication_Exposure --> Type_2_Immune_Response___Th2_Signaling
    STAT6_Degrader_SAR448272_NX_3911 --> Type_2_Immune_Response___Th2_Signaling
    Hill_mechanochemical_morphoelastic_model_of_asthmatic_airway_remodelling --> Airway_Remodeling
    Hill_mechanochemical_morphoelastic_model_of_asthmatic_airway_remodelling --> Bronchoconstriction
    Hill_mechanochemical_morphoelastic_model_of_asthmatic_airway_remodelling --> Airway_Inflammation
    Winkler_integrative_bronchial_tree_model_of_asthmatic_bronchoconstriction --> Bronchoconstriction
    Type_2_Immune_Response___Th2_Signaling -.-> Blood_Eosinophil_Count_BEC
    IL4 --> Type_2_Immune_Response___Th2_Signaling
    IL13 --> Type_2_Immune_Response___Th2_Signaling
    ADAM33 --> Airway_Remodeling
    STAT3 --> SIRT1_Mediated_NAD+_Signaling_and_Protective_Deacetylation
    CDHR3 --> Early_Life_Rhinovirus_Wheezing_Illness_and_Asthma_Inception

    style Occupational_Exposures fill:#dcfce7
    style Air_Pollution fill:#dcfce7
    style Anxiety fill:#fef3c7
    style Airway_Inflammation fill:#dbeafe
    style Cyanosis fill:#fef3c7
    style ADAM33 fill:#f3e8ff
    style STAT3 fill:#f3e8ff
    style Respiratory_Distress fill:#fef3c7
    style Mucus_Overproduction fill:#dbeafe
    style Reduced_Exercise_Tolerance fill:#fef3c7
    style Blood_Eosinophil_Count_BEC fill:#e0e7ff
    style Prenatal_Acid_Suppressive_Medication_Exposure fill:#dcfce7
    style Fatigue fill:#fef3c7
    style Wheezing fill:#fef3c7
    style Exercise_Intolerance fill:#fef3c7
    style Bronchoconstriction fill:#dbeafe
    style Tobacco_Smoke fill:#dcfce7
    style CDHR3 fill:#f3e8ff
    style House_Dust_Mite_Allergen_Protease_Induced_Epithelial_Oxidant_Signaling fill:#dbeafe
    style Type_2_Immune_Response___Th2_Signaling fill:#dbeafe
    style Allergens fill:#dcfce7
    style Coughing fill:#fef3c7
    style Early_Life_Rhinovirus_Wheezing_Illness_and_Asthma_Inception fill:#dbeafe
    style IL13 fill:#f3e8ff
    style Rapid_Breathing fill:#fef3c7
    style Chest_Tightness fill:#fef3c7
    style STAT6_Degrader_SAR448272_NX_3911 fill:#fce7f3
    style IL4 fill:#f3e8ff
    style Airway_Remodeling fill:#dbeafe
    style Sleep_Disturbance fill:#fef3c7
    style SIRT1_Mediated_NAD+_Signaling_and_Protective_Deacetylation fill:#dbeafe
    style Hill_mechanochemical_morphoelastic_model_of_asthmatic_airway_remodelling fill:#ecfccb
    style Winkler_integrative_bronchial_tree_model_of_asthmatic_bronchoconstriction fill:#ecfccb
S

Association Signals

Signal 1
LITERATURE LITERATURE_ASSOCIATION UNKNOWN
Population:Cohort of 43 EDS patients (mainly classical EDS) and 51 joint hypermobility syndrome (JHS) patients, compared against control subjects; cited within a 2021 review of EDS/HSD respiratory manifestations.
Mapping notes:The primary cohort is mainly classical EDS combined with a separately reported JHS group, not a hEDS-specific cohort under current nomenclature; JHS substantially overlaps with current hEDS/HSD classification. Recorded against hEDS as the numerically dominant EDS/hypermobility-spectrum phenotype.
Temporal: A before B: , B before A: , Same time:
PREVALENCE: 23.0
CI: -
p:
FDR:
Asthma prevalence in the EDS subgroup (mainly classical EDS, n=43).
PREVALENCE: 37.0
CI: -
p:
FDR:
Asthma prevalence in the JHS subgroup (n=51).
PREVALENCE: 14.0
CI: -
p:
FDR:
Asthma prevalence in controls.
PMID:34291699 (SUPPORT, review synthesis)
Source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
"asthma was observed in 23% of 43 EDS patients (mainly classical EDS) and 37% of 51 JHS patients compared to 14% of controls"
Directly quantifies increased asthma prevalence in EDS and JHS cohorts relative to controls.
Signal 2
ICEES EHR_COHORT_ASSOCIATION UNKNOWN
Population:ICEES KG snapshot 8-20-2024 (RENCI/UNC).
Mapping notes:Searched: the local ICEES KG snapshot (rebuilt with `just icees-refresh`) contains only 226 nodes total, a small set of UNC-Health cohort-specific concepts (including asthma, since one ICEES cohort is asthma-specific). hEDS (MONDO:0007523) does not appear among the 226 nodes at all -- confirmed by grepping the decompressed node list directly (same check performed for the hEDS-POTS comorbidity entry) -- so no asthma-hEDS pair signal can be built despite asthma itself being represented in the snapshot. Recorded here rather than silently omitted.
Temporal: A before B: , B before A: , Same time:
H

Hypotheses

Hypothesis: EDS/hypermobility and asthma may share overlapping polygenic risk (asthma being itself a polygenic disease), with the airway/atopic phenotype further modified by connective-tissue-related changes in airway and lung-parenchyma mechanical properties (increased distensibility, propensity to airway collapse) documented elsewhere in the same EDS respiratory literature, rather than asthma in hEDS being a purely mechanical airway phenomenon.
PMID:34291699 (SUPPORT, review synthesis)
Source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
"It has been proposed that asthma, which is a polygenic disease, may have overlapping genes with EDS, with the phenotype modified by genetic and environmental factors."
States the shared-polygenic-risk hypothesis for the EDS/hypermobility and asthma association, as distinct from a purely mechanical explanation.
Pathophysiology:
Atopic and airway-mechanical predisposition: Proposed convergence of shared polygenic atopic/asthma risk with connective-tissue-related changes in airway and lung-parenchyma mechanics, contributing to increased asthma prevalence in EDS and hypermobility spectrum disorders.
Biological processes:
smooth muscle contraction Gene Ontology (GO) Relation: this pathophysiological event involves this biological process This pathophysiological event involves airway smooth muscle contraction, annotated with smooth muscle contraction (GO:0006939). GO:0006939 is a biological process from the Gene Ontology.
Y

Raw YAML

Show YAML
name: com_Hypermobile_Ehlers-Danlos_Syndrome__Asthma
creation_date: '2026-09-18T02:57:53Z'
curation_status: CANDIDATE
notes: >-
  A 2021 review of respiratory manifestations in EDS/HSD reports that asthma
  (diagnosed by symptoms and variable airflow obstruction) was observed in
  23% of a cohort of 43 EDS patients (mainly classical EDS) and 37% of 51
  joint hypermobility syndrome (JHS) patients, compared to 14% of controls,
  alongside increased serum IgE in a quarter of the EDS group and a fifth of
  the JHS group -- an atopic pattern the review's authors note may reflect
  overlapping polygenic risk between asthma and EDS/hypermobility rather
  than a purely mechanical airway effect. The cited primary cohort was
  mainly classical EDS rather than hEDS specifically, but is combined with a
  JHS cohort that overlaps substantially with current hEDS/HSD
  classification; recorded against hEDS as the numerically dominant
  EDS/hypermobility-spectrum phenotype. Directionality is UNKNOWN. No ICEES
  KG signal exists for this specific hEDS-asthma pair despite the ICEES KG
  snapshot itself being built around an asthma cohort (see association_signals).

disease_a:
  slug: Hypermobile_Ehlers-Danlos_Syndrome
  preferred_term: Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, hypermobility type
  term:
    id: MONDO:0007523
    label: Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, hypermobility type

disease_b:
  slug: Asthma
  preferred_term: asthma
  term:
    id: MONDO:0004979
    label: asthma

directionality: UNKNOWN

hypotheses:
- description: >-
    Hypothesis: EDS/hypermobility and asthma may share overlapping
    polygenic risk (asthma being itself a polygenic disease), with the
    airway/atopic phenotype further modified by connective-tissue-related
    changes in airway and lung-parenchyma mechanical properties (increased
    distensibility, propensity to airway collapse) documented elsewhere in
    the same EDS respiratory literature, rather than asthma in hEDS being a
    purely mechanical airway phenomenon.
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:34291699
    reference_title: "A review of respiratory manifestations and their management in Ehlers-Danlos syndromes and hypermobility spectrum disorders."
    supports: SUPPORT
    quote_role: REVIEW_SYNTHESIS
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: "It has been proposed that asthma, which is a polygenic disease, may have overlapping genes with EDS, with the phenotype modified by genetic and environmental factors."
    explanation: >-
      States the shared-polygenic-risk hypothesis for the EDS/hypermobility
      and asthma association, as distinct from a purely mechanical
      explanation.
  pathophysiology:
  - name: Atopic and airway-mechanical predisposition
    description: >-
      Proposed convergence of shared polygenic atopic/asthma risk with
      connective-tissue-related changes in airway and lung-parenchyma
      mechanics, contributing to increased asthma prevalence in EDS and
      hypermobility spectrum disorders.
    biological_processes:
    - preferred_term: airway smooth muscle contraction
      term:
        id: GO:0006939
        label: smooth muscle contraction

association_signals:
- source: LITERATURE
  method: LITERATURE_ASSOCIATION
  signal_disorder_a_id: MONDO:0007523
  signal_disorder_b_id: MONDO:0004979
  population: >-
    Cohort of 43 EDS patients (mainly classical EDS) and 51 joint
    hypermobility syndrome (JHS) patients, compared against control
    subjects; cited within a 2021 review of EDS/HSD respiratory
    manifestations.
  mapping_notes: >-
    The primary cohort is mainly classical EDS combined with a separately
    reported JHS group, not a hEDS-specific cohort under current
    nomenclature; JHS substantially overlaps with current hEDS/HSD
    classification. Recorded against hEDS as the numerically dominant
    EDS/hypermobility-spectrum phenotype.
  directionality: UNKNOWN
  statistics:
    metrics:
    - metric_type: PREVALENCE
      metric_value: 23.0
      notes: Asthma prevalence in the EDS subgroup (mainly classical EDS, n=43).
    - metric_type: PREVALENCE
      metric_value: 37.0
      notes: Asthma prevalence in the JHS subgroup (n=51).
    - metric_type: PREVALENCE
      metric_value: 14.0
      notes: Asthma prevalence in controls.
    evidence:
    - reference: PMID:34291699
      reference_title: "A review of respiratory manifestations and their management in Ehlers-Danlos syndromes and hypermobility spectrum disorders."
      supports: SUPPORT
      quote_role: REVIEW_SYNTHESIS
      evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
      snippet: "asthma was observed in 23% of 43 EDS patients (mainly classical EDS) and 37% of 51 JHS patients compared to 14% of controls"
      explanation: >-
        Directly quantifies increased asthma prevalence in EDS and JHS
        cohorts relative to controls.

- source: ICEES
  method: EHR_COHORT_ASSOCIATION
  signal_disorder_a_id: MONDO:0007523
  signal_disorder_b_id: MONDO:0004979
  population: ICEES KG snapshot 8-20-2024 (RENCI/UNC).
  mapping_notes: >-
    Searched: the local ICEES KG snapshot (rebuilt with `just icees-refresh`)
    contains only 226 nodes total, a small set of UNC-Health cohort-specific
    concepts (including asthma, since one ICEES cohort is asthma-specific).
    hEDS (MONDO:0007523) does not appear among the 226 nodes at all --
    confirmed by grepping the decompressed node list directly (same check
    performed for the hEDS-POTS comorbidity entry) -- so no asthma-hEDS pair
    signal can be built despite asthma itself being represented in the
    snapshot. Recorded here rather than silently omitted.
  directionality: UNKNOWN
Source:GitHub