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Independent and combined #effects of long-term #air #pollution #exposure and #genetic #predisposition on #COVID19 #severity: A population-based cohort study

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By G.M.

Significance

To date, no study has investigated the relationships between air pollutants and the progression of COVID-19, nor the potential role of genetic susceptibility on the associations. This large population-based cohort study investigates the associations between air pollutants and genetic susceptibility, both individually and in combination, with the risk of COVID-19-related outcomes. It involves 458,396 participants from UK Biobank and demonstrates that air pollutants interact with host genetic susceptibility in both multiplicative and additive manners, thereby influencing the risk of COVID-19 severity. This study with cutting-edge methods provides robust evidence for the interplay between environmental and genetic factors on COVID-19 outcomes.


Abstract

The relationships between air pollution, genetic susceptibility, and COVID-19-related outcomes, as well as the potential interplays between air pollution and genetic susceptibility, remain largely unexplored. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to assess associations between long-term exposure to air pollutants and the risk of COVID-19 outcomes (infection, hospitalization, and death) in a COVID-19-naive cohort (n = 458,396). Additionally, associations between air pollutants and the risk of COVID-19 severity (hospitalization and death) were evaluated in a COVID-19 infection cohort (n = 110,216). Furthermore, this study investigated the role of host genetic susceptibility in the relationships between exposure to air pollutants and the development of COVID-19-related outcomes. Long-term exposure to air pollutants was significantly associated with an increased risk of COVID-19-related outcomes in the COVID-19 naive cohort. Similarly, in COVID-19 infection cohort, hazard ratios (HRs) for COVID-19 hospital admission were 1.23 (1.19, 1.27) for PM2.5 and 1.22 (1.17, 1.26) for PM10, whereas HRs for COVID-19 death were 1.28 (1.18, 1.39) for PM2.5 and 1.25 (1.16, 1.36) for PM10. Notably, significant interactions were found between PM2.5/PM10 and genetic susceptibility in COVID-19 death. In COVID-19 infection cohort, participants with both high genetic risk and high air pollutants exposure had 1.86- to 1.97-fold and 1.91- to 2.14-fold higher risk of COVID-19 hospitalization and death compared to those with both low genetic risk and low air pollutants exposure. Exposure to air pollution is significantly associated with an increased burden of severe COVID-19, and air pollution–gene interactions may play a crucial role in the development of COVID-19-related outcomes.

Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.2421513122?af=R

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