Figure 1.

During lifetime, acquired mutations, such as point mutations, structural variants and aneuploidies, in hematopoietic progenitors give rise to accumulation of immune the cells carrying somatic variants associated with clonal hematopoiesis. Harboring genetically altered leukocytes is associated with disease vulnerability and could be linked with dysregulation of normal immune cell functions. Known risk factors for common diseases and clonal hematopoiesis are largely overlapping and their relative contributions to disease risks need further evaluation.