Gene

Biology

Endocrinology

Pulse pressure

Single-nucleotide polymorphism

Genetics

Blood pressure

Genome-wide association study

Genotype

Internal medicine

Medicine

Genetic architecture

Quantitative trait locus

Disease

Risk factor

Nature Genetics

High blood pressure is a highly heritable and modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease. We report the largest genetic association study of blood pressure traits (systolic, diastolic and pulse pressure) to date in over 1 million people of European ancestry. We identify 535 novel blood pressure loci that not only offer new biological insights into blood pressure regulation but also highlight shared genetic architecture between blood pressure and lifestyle exposures. Our findings identify new biological pathways for blood pressure regulation with potential for improved cardiovascular disease prevention in the future.

Genetic analysis of over 1 million people identifies 535 new loci associated with blood pressure traits