Post by shahadat560 on Jan 18, 2024 10:23:55 GMT
Specifically, the scientists found a high risk of severe coronavirus infection among those people of European ancestry who carried two defective copies of the APOE gene (called e4e4).
One in 36 people of European ancestry has two defective copies of this gene, and this is known to increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease by up to 14 times, the scientists explain in a statement from the University of Exeter, in which they point out which also increases the risk of heart disease.
Now, the research team has discovered that being a carrier of these genetic mutations doubles the risks of Covid-19, even in people who have not developed the aforementioned diseases ; The results are published in the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Science.
The researchers used data from the UK Biobank Country Email List study, which collects health and genetic information from 500,000 people.
Like other scientists, this research team had already found that people with dementia are more likely to contract severe Covid-19 and, among the explanations, exposure to the high prevalence of coronavirus in nursing homes or centers could be of care.
However, this new work identifies that a genetic component may also be at play. The team specifically found that people with the APOE e4e4 genotype had twice the risk of developing severe Covid-19, compared to those with the common e3e3 form of the APOE gene.
The researchers used data from the UK Biobank study , which collects health and genetic information from 500,000 people.
Chia-Ling Kuo, from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, summarizes that this is an "exciting result because we might now be able to pinpoint how this defective gene causes vulnerability to Covid-19."
"The effect could be due in part to this underlying genetic change, which puts them at risk for both Covid-19 and dementia"
"This could lead to new ideas for treatments ," says Kuo, who points out that it is also important because it demonstrates, once again, that the increased risks of disease that seem inevitable with aging could actually be due to specific biological differences. .
One in 36 people of European ancestry has two defective copies of this gene, and this is known to increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease by up to 14 times, the scientists explain in a statement from the University of Exeter, in which they point out which also increases the risk of heart disease.
Now, the research team has discovered that being a carrier of these genetic mutations doubles the risks of Covid-19, even in people who have not developed the aforementioned diseases ; The results are published in the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Science.
The researchers used data from the UK Biobank Country Email List study, which collects health and genetic information from 500,000 people.
Like other scientists, this research team had already found that people with dementia are more likely to contract severe Covid-19 and, among the explanations, exposure to the high prevalence of coronavirus in nursing homes or centers could be of care.
However, this new work identifies that a genetic component may also be at play. The team specifically found that people with the APOE e4e4 genotype had twice the risk of developing severe Covid-19, compared to those with the common e3e3 form of the APOE gene.
The researchers used data from the UK Biobank study , which collects health and genetic information from 500,000 people.
Chia-Ling Kuo, from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, summarizes that this is an "exciting result because we might now be able to pinpoint how this defective gene causes vulnerability to Covid-19."
"The effect could be due in part to this underlying genetic change, which puts them at risk for both Covid-19 and dementia"
"This could lead to new ideas for treatments ," says Kuo, who points out that it is also important because it demonstrates, once again, that the increased risks of disease that seem inevitable with aging could actually be due to specific biological differences. .