COVID-19 spreading across world correlates with C677T allele of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene prevalence.

Abstract

BackgroundHomocysteine assessment has been proposed as a potential predictive biomarker for the severity of COVID‐19 infection. The purpose of this review was to analyze the correlation between the prevalence of MTHFR C677 T gene polymorphism and COVID‐19 incidence and mortality worldwide.MethodsData regarding MTHFR C677 T gene mutation were obtained from the interrogation of the Genome Aggregation Database (genomAD), which is publicly available from the web“https://gnomad.broadinstitute.org.” COVID‐19 cases, including prevalence and mortality, were obtained from“https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus” 27 August 2020.ResultsThere is a clear trend toward the worldwide prevalence of MTHFR 677 T and COVID‐19 incidence and mortality. The prevalence of MTHFR 677 T allele in the Latino population, and the incidence and mortality for COVID‐19 was higher for this ethnic group than that reported for most other populations globally. Statistical analysis showed a relatively strong correlation between C677 T and death from coronavirus.ConclusionsGenetic polymorphism of MTHFR C677 T may modulate the incidence and severity of COVID‐19 pandemic infection.