Strong association between angiotensin-converting enzyme gene InDel polymorphism and COVID-19 diseases.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

The COVID-19 pandemic that emerged in China in late 2019 and spread rapidly around the world. There is evidence that COVID-19 infection can be influenced by genetic variations in the host. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between InDel polymorphism and COVID-19 in Northern Cyprus.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This study included 250 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and 371 healthy controls. Genotyping for the InDel gene polymorphism was performed by polymerase chain reaction.

RESULTS

The frequency of DD homozygotes was significantly increased in COVID-19 patients compared to the control group ( = 0.022). The difference in the presence of the D allele between the patient and control groups was statistically significant (57.2% and 50.67%, respectively,  < 0.05). Individuals with the genotype II were found to have a higher risk of symptomatic COVID-19 ( = 0.011). In addition, chest radiographic findings were observed more frequently in individuals with the genotype DD compared to individuals with the genotypes ID and II ( = 0.005). A statistically significant difference was found when the time of onset of symptoms for COVID-19 and duration of treatment were compared with participants' genotypes ( = 0.016 and  = 0.014, respectively). The time of onset of COVID-19 was shorter in individuals with the genotype DD than in individuals with the genotype II, while the duration of treatment was longer.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the I/D polymorphism has the potential to predict the severity of COVID-19.