The Early Growth Genetics (EGG) and EArly Genetics and Lifecourse Epidemiology (EAGLE) consortia: design, results and future prospects
File(s)
OA Location
Author(s)
Middeldorp, Christel M
Felix, Janine F
Mahajan, Anubha
McCarthy, Mark I
EArly Genetics Lifecourse Epidemiology (EAGLE) consortium
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The impact of many unfavorable childhood traits or diseases, such as low birth weight and mental disorders, is not limited to childhood and adolescence, as they are also associated with poor outcomes in adulthood, such as cardiovascular disease. Insight into the genetic etiology of childhood and adolescent traits and disorders may therefore provide new perspectives, not only on how to improve wellbeing during childhood, but also how to prevent later adverse outcomes. To achieve the sample sizes required for genetic research, the Early Growth Genetics (EGG) and EArly Genetics and Lifecourse Epidemiology (EAGLE) consortia were established. The majority of the participating cohorts are longitudinal population-based samples, but other cohorts with data on early childhood phenotypes are also involved. Cohorts often have a broad focus and collect(ed) data on various somatic and psychiatric traits as well as environmental factors. Genetic variants have been successfully identified for multiple traits, for example, birth weight, atopic dermatitis, childhood BMI, allergic sensitization, and pubertal growth. Furthermore, the results have shown that genetic factors also partly underlie the association with adult traits. As sample sizes are still increasing, it is expected that future analyses will identify additional variants. This, in combination with the development of innovative statistical methods, will provide detailed insight on the mechanisms underlying the transition from childhood to adult disorders. Both consortia welcome new collaborations. Policies and contact details are available from the corresponding authors of this manuscript and/or the consortium websites.
Date Issued
2019-03-18
Date Acceptance
2019-01-25
Citation
European Journal of Epidemiology, 2019, 34 (3), pp.279-300
ISSN
0393-2990
Publisher
Springer
Start Page
279
End Page
300
Journal / Book Title
European Journal of Epidemiology
Volume
34
Issue
3
Copyright Statement
© 2019 The Author(s).This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.
Sponsor
Medical Research Council (MRC)
Grant Number
MR/L01341X/1
Subjects
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Genetics
Consortium
Childhood traits and disorders
Longitudinal
GENOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION
LD SCORE REGRESSION
LONGITUDINAL TWIN
CHILDHOOD OBESITY
COMMON VARIANTS
BLOOD-PRESSURE
BIRTH-WEIGHT
BODY-MASS
LOCI
METAANALYSIS
Childhood traits and disorders
Consortium
Genetics
Longitudinal
Adolescent
Adult
Child
Child, Preschool
Cohort Studies
Disease
Female
Forecasting
Genetic Predisposition to Disease
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Male
Phenotype
Pregnancy
Research Design
United Kingdom
EArly Genetics Lifecourse Epidemiology (EAGLE) consortium
Early Growth Genetics (EGG) consortium
Humans
Disease
Genetic Predisposition to Disease
Cohort Studies
Pregnancy
Phenotype
Research Design
Forecasting
Adolescent
Adult
Child
Child, Preschool
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Female
Male
United Kingdom
Epidemiology
1117 Public Health and Health Services
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2019-03-18