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Phenome-Wide Association Study

Meaning

A Phenome-Wide Association Study (PheWAS) is a powerful, large-scale statistical method that systematically scans a vast number of human traits, diseases, and clinical measurements (the phenome) to identify associations with a specific genetic variant or set of variants. Unlike traditional genetic studies that test one disease against many genes, PheWAS tests one gene against many clinical outcomes. This approach is invaluable for uncovering pleiotropy and establishing unexpected gene-phenotype links relevant to complex hormonal and metabolic diseases.