Approved research

Genetic Exploration of PreEclampsia and Gestational Hypertension in UK Biobank

Lay summary

PreEclampsia and gestational (pregnancy-induced) hypertension are serious (sometimes fatal) medical conditions that affect approximately 1% to 4% and 4% to 9% of pregnancies, respectively. The two conditions appear to be related since pregnancy-induced hypertension is one of two cardinal features of PreEclampsia (along with elevated urine protein). The proposed research would compare the genetic makeup of Biobank women who experienced PreEclampsia and/or gestational hypertension with the genetic makeup of Biobank women who did not experience these medical conditions in order to determine genetic factors that may cause or predict/diagnose PreEclampsia or gestational hypertension. The proposed research clearly accords with UK Biobank's stated purpose since the research seeks to: (1) identify genetic causes of serious medical conditions (PreEclampsia, Gestational Hypertension, and related conditions) that endanger the health of pregnant women and their unborn children, and (2) identify genetic markers that could improve prediction and diagnosis of these medical conditions. The proposed research would compare the genetic makeup of Biobank women who experienced PreEclampsia and/or gestational hypertension with the genetic makeup of Biobank women who did not experience these medical conditions. Identifying genetic differences between these groups will help to determine genetic factors that may cause or be used to predict/diagnose PreEclampsia or gestational hypertension. We are requesting genotypes and phenotypes for the full cohort of 150,000 Biobank subjects currently available. Phenotype fields for these 150,000 is requested in the uploaded file `Requested.Phenotype.Fields.Application9174.docx`. Subjects with/without self-report or ICD10 code for PreEclampsia or gestational hypertension will be analysed as cases/controls by standard GWAS analysis. The whole cohort and requested anthropometric, blood pressure and cardiometabolic phenotypes will be used to evaluate evidence for susceptibilty variants shared by PreEclampsia and other complex traits. Some of this `variant sharing` work is described in the uploaded European Human Genetics Society abstract.