Dementia gene raises risk of severe COVID-19
2020
University of Exeter Medical School, Exeter, United Kingdom
Having a faulty gene linked to dementia doubles the risk of developing severe COVID-19, according to a large-scale study. Data analysis of the UK Biobank showed a high risk of severe COVID-19 infection among European ancestry participants who carry two faulty copies of the APOE gene (termed e4e4). One in 36 people of European ancestry have two faulty copies of this gene, and this is known to increase risks of Alzheimer's disease up to 14-fold and also increases the risk of heart disease.
APOE e4 genotype predicts severe COVID-19 in the UK biobank community cohort
David Melzer
Added on: 07-07-2020
[1] https://academic.oup.com/biomedgerontology/article/doi/10.1093/gerona/glaa131/5843454[2] https://www.bionity.com/en/news/1166487/dementia-gene-raises-risk-of-severe-covid-19.html?pk_campaign=ca0264&WT.mc_id=ca0264
