The top sentinel variant was the SNP rs4947344, an intergenic variant located between HLA-DQB1 and HLA-DQA2 that was associated with IPF risk in our study (odds ratio (OR) = 1.14, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.09–1.20, p=5.60×10−8). Here, HLA-DQB1 is linked to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.