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. 2021 Oct 20;13(11):3680.
doi: 10.3390/nu13113680.

Associations between Genetic Variants in the Vitamin D Metabolism Pathway and Severity of COVID-19 among UAE Residents

Fatme Al-Anouti  1 , Mira Mousa  2   3 , Spyridon N Karras  4 , William B Grant  5 , Zainab Alhalwachi  3 , Laila Abdel-Wareth  6   7 , Maimunah Uddin  8 , Nawal Alkaabi  8 , Guan K Tay  3   9   10 , Bassam Mahboub  11 , Habiba AlSafar  3   12
Affiliations

Associations between Genetic Variants in the Vitamin D Metabolism Pathway and Severity of COVID-19 among UAE Residents

Fatme Al-Anouti et al. Nutrients. .

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.

Keywords: COVID-19; UAE; genotypes; metabolism; polymorphism; vitamin D.

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Conflict of interest statement

W.B.G. received funding from Bio-Tech Pharmacal Inc. (Fayetteville, AR, USA). All other authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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