Genetic analysis reveals novel traits associated with COVID-19 severity
Researchers in the United States have conducted genetic correlation studies revealing novel traits associated with the development of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The team’s analysis validated previous epidemiology-based findings that health conditions such as hypertension and type 2 diabetes are associated with more severe COVID-19.
However, the researchers also discovered novel risk factors that have not previously been reported by epidemiology-based studies.
For example, they found that lower levels of educational attainment correlated with severe COVID-19 and hospitalization.
The team – from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania – also found that opioid use and panic attacks appeared to be correlated with severe COVID 19 and hospitalization