GWAS for urinary sodium and potassium excretion highlights pathways shared with cardiovascular traits

Urinary sodium and potassium excretion are associated with blood pressure (BP) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). The exact biological link between these traits is yet to be elucidated. Here, we identify 50 loci for sodium and 13 for potassium excretion in a large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS) on urinary sodium and potassium excretion using data from 446,237 individuals of European descent from the UK Biobank study. We extensively interrogate the results using multiple analyses such as Mendelian randomization, functional assessment, co localization, genetic risk score, and pathway analyses. We identify a shared genetic component between urinary sodium and potassium expression and cardiovascular traits. Ingenuity pathway analysis shows that urinary sodium and potassium excretion loci are over-represented in behavioural response to stimuli. Our study highlights pathways that are shared between urinary sodium and potassium excretion and cardiovascular traits. Levels of sodium and potassium in urine are associated with cardiovascular traits. Here, Pazoki et al. perform genome-wide association studies for urinary sodium and potassium secretion and identify 50 and 13 novel loci, respectively, some of which show a potential causal relationship with blood pressure based on MR analysis.