NHLBI TOPMed: Integrative Genomic Studies of Heart and Blood Related Traits in Africans (Africa6K)

The majority of genomic studies of cardiovascular and blood related traits have focused on non-African populations. However, Africa is an extraordinarily important region to study as (1) it is the site of origin of modern humans, (2) it contains the greatest levels of human genetic variation, (3) it is the source of the diaspora of Africans into the Americas, (4) Africans and African Americans have a high incidence of certain blood disorders such as sickle cell disease, and (5) some common complex diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension and obesity are more prevalent in people of African descent and are increasing in frequency in urban regions of Africa. Further, differences in diets, climate, and exposure to pathogens among ethnically and geographically diverse African... (for more see dbGaP study page.)

绝大多数针对心血管及血液相关性状的基因组学研究，均以非非洲人群为研究对象。然而非洲却是极具研究价值的区域，原因如下：(1) 非洲是现代人类的起源地；(2) 非洲拥有最为丰富的人类遗传多样性；(3) 非洲是非洲人群向美洲迁徙扩散的源头；(4) 非洲本土人群及非裔美国人罹患镰状细胞病等特定血液疾病的比例较高；(5) 2型糖尿病、高血压、肥胖等常见复杂疾病在非洲裔人群中更为高发，且在非洲城市地区的患病率正持续上升。此外，非洲不同族群与地理区域间在饮食结构、气候环境及病原体暴露情况上均存在显著差异……（更多详情请参见dbGaP研究页面）