PNEUMONIA genetics may hold the key to why some people are more vulnerable to this common and sometimes deadly lung infection, according to a sweeping new European study analysing the DNA of more than 600,000 people. The research highlights immune system and lung health genes as important predictors of pneumonia risk across different life stages.
New Genetic Discoveries Behind Pneumonia Risk
Scientists from used date from FinnGen and Estonian biobank projects to carry out one of the largest genome-wide analyses of pneumonia to date, comparing DNA from over 110,000 people who had experienced pneumonia with more than half a million healthy controls. They pinpointed 12 regions in the genome linked to the illness, including four previously known sites and eight new ones.
Well-established loci such as HLA, MUC5AC, and CHRNA5 were joined by novel associations including PTPN22, CRP, MUC5B, and CHRNA2. These results suggest that pneumonia risk is shaped by how effectively the immune system reacts to infection and how the lungs handle damage and exposure to smoke or pollutants.
How Pneumonia Genetics Vary with Age
The study showed that genetic influences differ across age groups and patient types. In children, changes in the HLA region, vital for recognising bacteria and viruses, were most prominent. Working-age adults showed stronger links with inflammatory markers such as CRP, while in older people, genes involved in lung health and smoking behaviour played a greater role. Among those with recurrent pneumonia or asthma, similar patterns pointed to disrupted immune control and repair mechanisms.
What the Findings Mean for Future Care
Clinicians say these findings provide a clearer biological explanation for pneumonia’s unpredictable nature. Pneumonia, which causes the lungs’ air sacs to fill with fluid or pus, can be life-threatening in older adults or those with underlying illness. Understanding pneumonia genetics could help identify people at higher risk and lead to personalised prevention, such as targeted vaccination or lifestyle interventions.
The study also reinforces the importance of modifiable factors, including obesity and smoking, both of which appear to interact with genetic susceptibility. Although more research is needed before clinical use, the work marks a major advance in uncovering how genes, immunity, and environment converge in pneumonia.
Reference
Heikkilä A et al. Genetic risk factors for pneumonia differ by patient subgroup. EBioMedicine. 2026;DOI:10.1016/j.ebiom.2026.106136.
