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Associations between genetic variants in the vitamin d metabolism pathway and severity of covid-19 among uae residents
Nutrients
  • Fatme Al-Anouti, Zayed University
  • Mira Mousa, University of Oxford Medical Sciences Division
  • Spyridon N. Karras, National Scholarship Foundation
  • William B. Grant, Sunlight, Nutrition and Health Research Center
  • Zainab Alhalwachi, Khalifa University of Science and Technology
  • Laila Abdel-Wareth, National Reference Laboratory
  • Maimunah Uddin, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City
  • Nawal Alkaabi, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City
  • Guan K. Tay, Khalifa University of Science and Technology
  • Bassam Mahboub, Rashid Hospital
  • Habiba Alsafar, Khalifa University of Science and Technology
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
11-1-2021
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.

Publisher
MDPI AG
Keywords
  • COVID-19,
  • Genotypes,
  • Metabolism,
  • Polymorphism,
  • UAE,
  • Vitamin D
Scopus ID
85117258453
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
Indexed in Scopus
Yes
Open Access
Yes
Open Access Type
Gold: This publication is openly available in an open access journal/series
Citation Information
Fatme Al-Anouti, Mira Mousa, Spyridon N. Karras, William B. Grant, et al.. "Associations between genetic variants in the vitamin d metabolism pathway and severity of covid-19 among uae residents" Nutrients Vol. 13 Iss. 11 (2021)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/fatme-alanouti/32/