Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 rs2285666 polymorphism and clinical parameters as the determinants of COVID-19 severity in Iranian population.

Host genetic factors may be correlated with the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) plays a vital role in viral cell entrance. The current study aimed to evaluate the association of ACE2 rs2285666 polymorphism and clinical parameters with COVID-19 mortality. The ACE2 rs2285666 polymorphism was genotyped using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism in 556 recovered and 522 dead patients. In this study, the frequency of ACE2 rs2285666 CC was significantly higher than TT genotype in dead patients. The multivariate logistic regression analysis results showed that the higher levels of alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, creatinine, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and C-reactive protein and the low levels of uric acid, cholesterol, low density lipoprotein, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, real-time PCR Ct values, and ACE2 rs2285666 CC genotype were associated with increased mortality rates after COVID-19. In conclusion, our findings demonstrated a possible link between COVID-19 mortality, clinical parameters, and ACE2 rs2285666 CC. Further research is required to confirm these results.

Does endometriosis increase susceptibility to COVID-19 infections? A case-control study in women of reproductive age.

BACKGROUND: In today's world, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the most critical health problem and research is continued on studying the associated factors. But it is not clear whether endometriosis increases the risk of COVID-19. METHODS: Women who referred to the gynecology clinic were evaluated and 507 women with endometriosis (case group) were compared with 520 women without endometriosis (control group). COVID-19 infection, symptoms, exposure, hospitalization, isolation, H1N1 infection and vaccination, and past medical history of the participants were recorded and compared between the groups using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows version 21. RESULTS: Comparison between the groups represent COVID-19 infection in 3.2% of the case group and 3% of the control group (P = 0.942). The control group had a higher frequency of asymptomatic infection (95.7% vs. 94.5%; P < 0.001) and fever (1.6% vs. 0%; P = 0.004), while the frequency of rare symptoms was more common in the case group (P < 0.001). The average disease period was 14 days in both groups (P = 0.694). COVID-19 infection was correlated with close contact (r = 0.331; P < 0.001 in the case group and r = 0.244; P < 0.001 in the control group), but not with the history of thyroid disorders, H1N1 vaccination, traveling to high-risk areas, and social isolation (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Endometriosis does not increase the susceptibility to COVID-19 infections, but alters the manifestation of the disease. The prevalence of the disease may depend on the interaction between the virus and the individual's immune system but further studies are required in this regard.