| Title: | Genetic determinants of childhood blood pressure and heart rate in relation to adult health outcomes: the consortium of childhood blood pressure |
| Journal: | European Heart Journal |
| Published: | 27 Apr 2026 |
| Pubmed: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42036355/ |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehag313 |
Publication 17830
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Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: To elucidate the genetic architecture of blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) during early life and assess their potential relevance to adult health outcomes.</p>
METHODS: The largest genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analyses to date of childhood systolic BP, diastolic BP, pulse pressure, and mean arterial pressure (n = 28 425) and HR (n = 22 565) were conducted in children of European ancestry aged 4-17 years. Follow-up analyses included comparisons with adult GWAS results, polygenic risk score (PRS) analyses in independent cohorts of diverse ancestries, and a phenome-wide association study in the UK Biobank.</p>
RESULTS: Eight genome-wide significant loci were identified for childhood BP (KIAA2013, CACNB2, PLCE1, PAX2, COL4A2, RP11-236L14.1, CFDP1, TPX2) and three loci for childhood HR (CCDC141, ACHE, MYH6); all novel in children but previously reported in adults. Childhood PRSs explained up to 1.6% of BP variance and 5.2% of HR variance among children of European ancestry. Genetic correlations between childhood and adulthood BP traits were moderate (rg = 0.4-0.7), suggesting age-specific genetic effects on BP. In the UK Biobank, higher childhood BP PRS levels were significantly associated with a broad range of adult health outcomes, particularly cardiometabolic outcomes such as hypertension, angina, myocardial infarction, and cardiovascular disease-related mortality.</p>
CONCLUSIONS: These findings advance the understanding of the genetic architecture of childhood BP and HR and provide compelling genetic evidence linking childhood BP to a broad spectrum of adult health outcomes-particularly cardiometabolic conditions-which may inform targeted prevention strategies from a young age.</p>
89 Authors
- Tian Xie
- Alireza Ani
- Ahmad Vaez
- Ilja M Nolte
- Shaoyong Su
- Mami Ishikuro
- Siqi Wang
- Wenbo Zhang
- Ana Goncalves Soares
- Ehsan Motazedi
- Lucinda Calas
- Justiina Ronkainen
- Casper-Emil T Pedersen
- Xueling Lu
- Sara E Stinson
- Janine F Felix
- Evelina Stankevic
- Carol A Wang
- Elisabeth Thiering
- Dietmar Fernández
- Beatriz Calvo-Serra
- Maria G Stathopoulou
- Ruby Fore
- Ashish Kumar
- Johanna Tuhkanen
- Jose Ramon Bilbao
- Jesus Ibarluzea
- Aaron Isaacs
- Cilius Esmann Fonvig
- Fernando Rivadeneira
- Morten Asp Vonsild Lund
- Louise Aas Holm
- Peter J van der Most
- Harriëtte Riese
- Akira Narita
- Gen Tamiya
- Claudia Flexeder
- Rikstje Wiersma
- Anna D Argoty-Pantoja
- Rebecca Vinding
- Tine Willum Hansen
- Thomas Kümler
- Marisa Estarlich
- Mariona Bustamante
- Wen Lun Yuan
- Anne Boland-Augé
- Jean-François Deleuze
- Alexandros M Petrelis
- Sheryl Rifas-Shiman
- Eero Kajantie
- Nora Fernandez-Jimenez
- Loreto Santa-Marina
- Ilja C W Arts
- Jari Lahti
- Timo Strandberg
- Inger Kull
- Anna Bergström
- Marie-France Hivert
- Klaus Bønnelykke
- Shinichi Kuriyama
- Lawrence J Beilin
- Trevor A Mori
- Catharina A Hartman
- Niels Grarup
- Carel Thijs
- Katri Räikkönen
- Erik Melén
- Emily Oken
- Sophie Visvikis-Siest
- Kristine B Gützkow
- Regina Grazuleviciene
- Barbara Heude
- Leda Chatzi
- Martine Vrijheid
- Marie Standl
- Tanja Vrijkotte
- Craig E Pennell
- Albertine J Oldehinkel
- Torben Hansen
- Vincent W V Jaddoe
- Jens-Christian Holm
- Sylvain Sebert
- Nicholas J Timpson
- Taku Obara
- Xiaoling Wang
- Deborah A Lawlor
- Eva Corpeleijn
- Tarunveer S Ahluwalia
- Harold Snieder
1 Application
| Application ID | Title |
|---|---|
| 74395 | Interpretion of health data with artificial intelligence for study of cardiovascular risk factors and their relation to diseases |
Enabling scientific discoveries that improve human health