In the UK Biobank Lung Exome Variant Evaluation (UK BiLEVE) study, we undertook nested case-control studies in individuals of European ancestry from UK Biobank to: (1) identify whether there are shared genetic causes underlying low FEV1 and high FEV1, and a shared genetic cause of low FEV1 between never smokers and heavy smokers and between individuals with and without a doctor diagnosis of asthma; (2) identify novel variants associated with extremes of FEV1 and smoking behaviour; and (3) provide further insight into regions of the genome that had already shown evidence for a role in lung health and disease.
