Applying a new genomic technique to a large group of patients, researchers in Britain have detected DNA variations that underlie seven common diseases, discovering unexpected links between them.

The seven common diseases are bipolar disorder, coronary artery disease, Crohn’s disease, hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis, and Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

The approach is known as whole genome association, and studies on Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and breast cancer have been reported within the last few weeks. Those and the new study, which was financed by the Wellcome Trust of London, demonstrate the power and reliability of the whole genome association method, which stands in contrast to the many uncorroborated claims of disease genes made previously.