Self-Reported Symptoms of COVID-19, Including Symptoms Most Predictive of SARS-CoV-2 Infection, Are Heritable

TY - JOUR

T1 - Self-Reported Symptoms of COVID-19, Including Symptoms Most Predictive of SARS-CoV-2 Infection, Are Heritable

AU - Williams, Frances M K

AU - Freidin, Maxim B

AU - Mangino, Massimo

AU - Couvreur, Simon

AU - Visconti, Alessia

AU - Bowyer, Ruth C E

AU - Le Roy, Caroline I

AU - Falchi, Mario

AU - Mompeó, Olatz

AU - Sudre, Carole

AU - Davies, Richard

AU - Hammond, Christopher

AU - Menni, Cristina

AU - Steves, Claire J

AU - Spector, Tim D

N1 - Funding Information: FW receives funding for COVID-19 research from the Kennedy Trust and Versus Arthritis. TwinsUK is funded by the Wellcome Trust, Medical Research Council, European Union, Chronic Disease Research Foundation (CDRF), Zoe Global Ltd and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)-funded BioResource, Clinical Research Facility and Biomedical Research Centre based at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with King's College London. Funding Information: FW receives funding for COVID-19 research from the Kennedy Trust and Versus Arthritis. TwinsUK is funded by the Wellcome Trust, Medical Research Council, European Union, Chronic Disease Research Foundation (CDRF), Zoe Global Ltd and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)-funded BioResource, Clinical Research Facility and Biomedical Research Centre based at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with King’s College London. Publisher Copyright: © Copyright: Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

PY - 2021/2/9

Y1 - 2021/2/9

N2 - Susceptibility to infection such as SARS-CoV-2 may be influenced by host genotype. TwinsUK volunteers (n = 3261) completing the C-19 COVID-19 symptom tracker app allowed classical twin studies of COVID-19 symptoms, including predicted COVID-19, a symptom-based algorithm to predict true infection, derived from app users tested for SARS-CoV-2. We found heritability of 49% (32-64%) for delirium; 34% (20-47%) for diarrhea; 31% (8-52%) for fatigue; 19% (0-38%) for anosmia; 46% (31-60%) for skipped meals and 31% (11-48%) for predicted COVID-19. Heritability estimates were not affected by cohabiting or by social deprivation. The results suggest the importance of host genetics in the risk of clinical manifestations of COVID-19 and provide grounds for planning genome-wide association studies to establish specific genes involved in viral infectivity and the host immune response.

AB - Susceptibility to infection such as SARS-CoV-2 may be influenced by host genotype. TwinsUK volunteers (n = 3261) completing the C-19 COVID-19 symptom tracker app allowed classical twin studies of COVID-19 symptoms, including predicted COVID-19, a symptom-based algorithm to predict true infection, derived from app users tested for SARS-CoV-2. We found heritability of 49% (32-64%) for delirium; 34% (20-47%) for diarrhea; 31% (8-52%) for fatigue; 19% (0-38%) for anosmia; 46% (31-60%) for skipped meals and 31% (11-48%) for predicted COVID-19. Heritability estimates were not affected by cohabiting or by social deprivation. The results suggest the importance of host genetics in the risk of clinical manifestations of COVID-19 and provide grounds for planning genome-wide association studies to establish specific genes involved in viral infectivity and the host immune response.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85100653834&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1017/thg.2020.85

DO - 10.1017/thg.2020.85

M3 - Article

C2 - 33558003

SN - 1832-4274

VL - 23

SP - 316

EP - 321

JO - TWIN RESEARCH AND HUMAN GENETICS

JF - TWIN RESEARCH AND HUMAN GENETICS

IS - 6

ER -