Host genetic markers associated with severe COVID-19: A systematic review

Abstract

Background: Severity of COVID-19 has been linked to several factors. As any other polygenic-multifactorial phenotype, genotype is not determinant in this prediction but may add actionable information. There is no consensus yet as to which genetic markers are useful, but several studies have been published that postulate different hypotheses acknowledging the relevance of including host genetics among the variables that predict the risk for severe forms of the disease.  Objective: The objective of this study is to perform a systematic review that summarizes the projects, studies and postulated markers in order to establish if their application in clinical practice is currently feasible. Materials and methods: A comprehensive search was conducted in Pubmed. The inclusion criterion was studies of patients with COVID-19 who had germinal genetic markers of interest sequenced. The selected studies had to include at least a group of patients with the severe form of the disease. Results: 7 studies that met the criteria were included, which involved 6347 individuals. Markers for 19  genes have been postulated as relevant. Conclusion: The performed analysis indicates that multiple markers may be correlated with worse evolution of COVID-19; however, great heterogeneity has been found among the studies, which still precludes their translation into clinical practice.