Genetic research on nicotine dependence has utilized multiple assessments that are in weak agreement.

We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of nicotine dependence defined using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-NicDep) in 61,861 individuals (47,884 of European ancestry [EUR], 10,231 of African ancestry, and 3,746 of East Asian ancestry) and compared the results to other nicotine-related phenotypes.

We replicated the well-known association at the CHRNA5 locus (lead single-nucleotide polymorphism [SNP]: rs147144681, p = 1.27E−11 in EUR; lead SNP = rs2036527, p = 6.49e−13 in cross-ancestry analysis). DSM-NicDep showed strong positive genetic correlations with cannabis use disorder, opioid use disorder, problematic alcohol use, lung cancer, material deprivation, and several psychiatric disorders, and negative correlations with respiratory function and educational attainment. A polygenic score of DSM-NicDep predicted DSM-5 tobacco use disorder criterion count and all 11 individual diagnostic criteria in the independent National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III sample. In genomic structural equation models, DSM-NicDep loaded more strongly on a previously identified factor of general addiction liability than a “problematic tobacco use” factor (a combination of cigarettes per day and nicotine dependence defined by the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence). Finally, DSM-NicDep showed a strong genetic correlation with a GWAS of tobacco use disorder as defined in electronic health records (EHRs).

Our results suggest that combining the wide availability of diagnostic EHR data with nuanced criterion-level analyses of DSM tobacco use disorder may produce new insights into the genetics of this disorder.