The majority of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) conducted to date have studied susceptibility to disease. They have provided insights into biological mechanisms leading to disease, enabled Mendelian randomisation studies of risk factors and shown promise for population screening1. However, such studies are not necessarily informative on the course of disease, so their results cannot immediately be utilised to identify therapeutic targets or inform clinical management2. Among a few published GWAS of survival, associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have tended to differ from those associated with susceptibility3–8. With many collections of disease cases now genotyped by studies of susceptibility, more GWAS of severity, prognosis and survival are expected in the coming years.
