Impact of Genetics on Predisposition and Prognosis of COVID-19

Abstract

The global pandemic of COVID-19 accounts for more than 3 million deaths globally. COVID-19 is a contagious infection caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Wide range of clinical manifestations from gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, loss of smell and taste and mild and severe respiratory infection to death has been reported with COVID-19. However, not much is known about the role of genetics in predisposition and progression of COVID-19. It is assumed that immense diversity of symptoms in infected individuals may be due to differences in host genetic characteristics and that genetic variations may be involved in determining the outcome of disease. However, the exact underlying mechanisms of these variations is unknown to date. Profound understanding of the underlying factors such as host genetics that determine the degree of susceptibility to infection and the disease severity may assist in better prediction of the population with the highest risk of infection along with achieving better medical treatment. In this review, we focused on the play of genetic variants associated with the susceptibility and severity of COVID-19 disease in the recent pandemic.