Background The COVID-19 pandemic remains an emerging public health crisis with serious adverse effects. The disease is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV–2) infection, targeting angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) receptor for cell entry. However, changes in the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) balance alter an individual’s susceptibility to COVID-19 infection. We aimed to evaluate the association between AGT rs699 C > T, ACE rs4646994 I/D, and AGTR1 rs5186 C > A variants and the risk of COVID-19 infection and the severity in a sample of the southeast Iranian population. Methods A total of 504 subjects, including 258 COVID-19 positives, and 246 healthy controls, were recruited. Genotyping of the ACE gene rs4646994, and AGT rs699, and AGTR1 rs5186 polymorphisms was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP), respectively. Results Our results showed that the II genotype of ACE rs4646994 and the I allele decreased the risk of COVID-19 infection. Moreover, we found that the TC genotype and C allele of AGT rs699 increased the risk of COVID-19 infection. The AGTR1 rs5186 was not associated with COVID-19 infection. Also, we did not find any association between these polymorphisms and the severity of the disease. However, we found a significantly higher age and prevalence of diabetes and hypertension in patients with severe disease than a non-severe disease. Conclusions These findings suggest that ACE rs4646994 and AGT rs699 polymorphisms increase the risk of COVID-19 infection in a southeast Iranian population.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, polymorphism, angiotensin, ACE, AGT, AGTR1, 【초록키워드】 ACE2, susceptibility, COVID-19 pandemic, severity, variant, Infection, public health crisis, hypertension, RAS, renin-angiotensin system, adverse effects, Prevalence, PCR, COVID-19 infection, Patient, Genotype, age, receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme-2, disease, association, Coronavirus-2, severe disease, acute respiratory syndrome, cell entry, healthy controls, allele, C allele, ACE gene, Alter, risk of COVID-19, polymerase chain, Result, evaluate, caused, recruited, the disease, was performed, changes in, subjects, significantly higher, diabete, I/D, increased the risk, with COVID-19, 【제목키워드】 COVID-19 infection, receptor, case-control study, Angiotensin-converting enzyme,