Abstract
Vitamin D has many effects on cells in the immune system. Many studies have linked low vitamin D status with severity of COVID-19. Genetic variants involved in vitamin D metabolism have been implicated as potential risk factors for severe COVID-19 outcomes. This study investigated how genetic variations in humans affected the clinical presentation of COVID-19. In total, 646 patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection were divided into two groups: noncritical COVID-19 (n = 453; 70.12%) and a critical group (n = 193; 29.87%). Genotype data on the GC, NADSYN1, VDR, and CYP2R1 genes along with data on serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were compiled in patients admitted to a major hospital in the United Arab Emirates between April 2020 and January 2021. We identified 12 single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with the critical COVID-19 condition: rs59241277, rs113574864, rs182901986, rs60349934, and rs113876500; rs4944076, rs4944997, rs4944998, rs4944979, and rs10898210; and rs11574018 and rs11574024. We report significant associations between genetic determinants of vitamin D metabolism and COVID-19 severity in the UAE population. Further research needed to clarify the mechanism of action against viral infection in vitamin D deficiency. These variants could be used with vaccination to manage the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and could be particularly valuable in populations in which vitamin D deficiency is common.
Highlights
This study aimed to examine the association of polymorphisms in vitamin D receptor (VDR) and other genes involved in vitamin D metabolism with COVID-19 disease outcome among the UAE population
We analyzed several variants in the loci near protein-coding genes involved in the vitamin D pathway in a cohort of SARS-CoV-2-positive patients from the UAE population to investigate the possible association with COVID-19 disease severity
The results suggested an important role for the genetic variants of GC in explaining disparities in the prevalence of COVID-19 infection and its mortality rates in the context of vitamin D metabolism [27]
Summary
In late 2019, the first cases of COVID-19, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), were reported in Wuhan, China [1]. Heterogeneity has been observed in COVID-19 cases, with symptoms characterized as asymptomatic, mild, moderate, and severe, with evidence that the hyperinflammatory responses induced by SARS-CoV-2 are the major causes of disease severity and death [2]. Several studies have shown that individuals with comorbidities, such as obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, are more susceptible to developing severe COVID-19 symptoms owing to an imbalance in the immune response and uncontrolled release of proinflammatory cytokines [3]. Vitamin D has been identified as an important molecule in attenuating the SARS-CoV-2 viral infection through binding to the vitamin D receptor (VDR) to control the immune response [5,6]
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