Cross-trait analyses with migraine reveal widespread pleiotropy and suggest a vascular component to migraine headache
Katherine M. Siewert, Derek Klarin, Scott M. Damrauer, Kyong‐Mi Chang, Philip S. Tsao, Themistocles L. Assimes, George Davey Smith, Benjamin F. Voight, Padhraig Gormley, Verneri Anttila, Bendik S. Winsvold, Priit Palta, Tõnu Esko, Tune H. Pers, Kai-How Farh, Ester Cuenca-León, Mikko Muona, Nicholas A. Furlotte, Tobias Kurth, Andrés Ingason, George McMahon, Lannie Ligthart, Gisela M. Terwindt, Mikko Kallela, Tobias Freilinger, Caroline Ran, Scott G Gordon, Anine H Stam, Stacy Steinberg, Guntram Borck, Markku Koiranen, Lydia Quaye, Hieab H.H. Adams, Terho Lehtimäki, Antti‐Pekka Sarin, Juho Wedenoja, David A. Hinds, Julie E. Buring, Markus Schürks, Paul M. Ridker, Maria Gudlaug Hrafnsdottir, Hreinn Stefánsson, Susan M. Ring, Jouke‐Jan Hottenga, Brenda W.J.H. Penninx, Markus Färkkilä, Ville Artto, Mari Kaunisto, Salli Vepsäläinen, Rainer Malik, Andrew C. Heath, Pamela A. F. Madden, Nicholas G. Martin, Grant W. Montgomery, Mitja Kurki, Mart Kals, Reedik Mägi, Kalle Pärn, Eija Hämäläinen, Hailiang Huang, Andrea Byrnes, Lude Franke, Jie Huang, Evie Stergiakouli, Phil H. Lee, Cynthia Sandor, Caleb Webber, M. Zameel Cader, Bertram Müller‐Myhsok, Stefan Schreiber, Thomas Meitinger, Johan G. Eriksson, Veikko Salomaa, Kauko Heikkilä, Elizabeth Loehrer, André G. Uitterlinden, Albert Hofman, Cornelia M. van Duijn, Lynn Cherkas, Linda M. Pedersen, Audun Stubhaug, Christopher Sivert Nielsen, Minna Männikkö, Evelin Mihailov, Lili Milani, Hartmut Göbel, Ann-Louise Esserlind, Anne Francke Christensen, Thomas Folkmann Hansen, Thomas Werge, Sigrid Børte, Bru Cormand, Else Eising, Lyn R. Griffiths, Eija Hämäläinen, Marjo Hiekkala, Risto Kajanne, Lenore Launer, Terho Lehtimäki, Davor Lessel
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Nearly a fifth of the world's population suffer from migraine headache, yet risk factors for this disease are poorly characterized. METHODS: To further elucidate these factors, we conducted a genetic correlation analysis using cross-trait linkage disequilibrium (LD) score regression between migraine headache and 47 traits from the UK Biobank. We then tested for possible causality between these phenotypes and migraine, using Mendelian randomization. In addition, we attempted replication of our findings in an independent genome-wide association study (GWAS) when available. RESULTS: We report multiple phenotypes with genetic correlation (P < 1.06 × 10-3) with migraine, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, lipid levels, blood pressure, autoimmune and psychiatric phenotypes. In particular, we find evidence that blood pressure directly contributes to migraine and explains a previously suggested causal relationship between calcium and migraine. CONCLUSIONS: This is the largest genetic correlation analysis of migraine headache to date, both in terms of migraine GWAS sample size and the number of phenotypes tested. We find that migraine has a shared genetic basis with a large number of traits, indicating pervasive pleiotropy at migraine-associated loci.