Gene doubles the risk of dying from covid-19

• About 60 per cent of people with South Asian ancestry carry this version of the gene, compared to 15 per cent of people with European heritage
• The findings help explain why higher rates of hospitalisation and death may have been seen in certain communities and on the Indian subcontinent

Scientists identified a specific gene that doubles the risk of respiratory failure from
Covid-19 and may go some way to explaining why some ethnic groups are more
susceptible to severe disease than others.
Researchers from the University of Oxford found that a higher-risk version of the
gene most likely prevents the cells lining airways and the lungs from responding to
the virus properly. About 60 per cent of people with South Asian ancestry carry this
version of the gene, compared with 15 per cent of people with European heritage,
according to the study published on Thursday.
The findings help explain why higher rates of hospitalisation and death may have
been seen in certain communities and on the Indian subcontinent.
The authors cautioned that the gene cannot be used as a sole explanation as many
other factors, such as socioeconomic conditions, play a role. Despite a significant
impact from the virus to people with Afro-Caribbean ancestry, only 2 per cent carry
the higher-risk genotype.

People with the gene, known as LZTFL1, would particularly benefit from vaccination, which remains the best method of protection, the authors said.
The findings raise the possibility of research into treatments specific to patients with this gene, though no tailored drugs are currently available. This “shows that the way in which the lung responds to the infection is critical,” said James Davies, co-lead author and associate professor of genomics at Oxford, who worked in intensive care during the pandemic. “This is important because most treatments have focused on changing the way in which the immune system reacts to the virus.”