This meta-analysis provided data from more than 20,000 participants. The individual studies included three US-based population studies supported by the NHLBI - the Artherosclerosis Risk in Communities, the Cardiovascular Health Study, and the Framingham Heart Study - and the Rotterdam Study in the Netherlands.

The researchers focused on finding genetic commonalities in DNA that lead to some people having lower lung function than others of the same age, gender, race, size and smoking history.

One way researchers determine airflow obstruction is by using a machine called a spirometer to measure how much air a person breathes in and out, as well as how fast it is blown out, or expired. Spirometry is an important tool used to diagnose asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, COPD, as well as the impact of environmental exposure on lung health. In disease, the ratio between forced expiratory volume (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) - an indicator of airflow obstruction - is abnormally low.

"This is a beautiful example of how modern genomic approaches can unearth valuable new insights from previous research," said NIEHS Director Linda Birnbaum, Ph.D. "It sets us on a course for learning much more about how lung diseases develop and how environmental triggers like smoking and air pollution work in combination with genes."

Source: NIH/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences