ISSN: 0973-7510
E-ISSN: 2581-690X
, Nivin Naeem Baiomy2, Abeer M. Rawy3, Mona M.F. Ghanem4, Soha M. Abd El Salam5, Karima Nasraldin6, Mohamed Ramadan Ezz Al Arab7, Hussein H. Samir8, Omar Mohamoud Azzam9, Nashwa M. Muharram10, Naglaa Elsalway11, Ahmed Y. Elamir12, Sarya Swed13, Wael Hafez14, Luis A. Salas-Matta15, Alfonso J. Rodriguez-Morales15-17, D. Katterine Bonilla-Aldana18, Hashem Abu Serhan19, Sanjit Sah20-22 and Rachana Mehta23,24 Insufficient vitamin D levels in the bloodstream, together with the presence of specific genetic variations known as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the VDR gene, have consistently been linked to a higher likelihood of contracting and experiencing more severe forms of various diseases such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to explore the potential relationship between vitamin D levels, Bsml and FOKI polymorphisms, and COVID-19 infection outcomes. A case-control study was conducted with COVID-19 patients and a control group of non-COVID-19 patients (n = 107 each). The associations between vitamin D status, polymorphisms, and COVID susceptibility were investigated. Participants diagnosed with COVID-19 exhibited an average age of 48.84 ± 12.18, while non-COVID-19 patients had an average age of 46.82 ± 9.903. Disease severity, assessed by the CT severity score, showed a negative correlation with the Vitamin D levels. Among participants with COVID-19, the mean level of vitamin D was 35.25 ± 9.40 ng/mL while non-COVID-19 patients showed 38.85 ± 9.40 ng/mL with a significant difference (p = 0.004**) although among COVID-19 cases, 87 (81.3%) individuals had sufficient vitamin D levels and non-severity of disease was more common i.e. 54 (50.5%) among the COVID patients who had sufficient level of Vitamin D. The study found no significant association between Vitamin D levels and rs1544410 Bsml polymorphism (p = 0.429). However, it is important to highlight a weak significant association observed between with Fok1 polymorphism (p = 0.049). These findings underscore the weak influence of genetic factors, particularly VDR Fok1 gene variants, in shaping an individual’s susceptibility to COVID-19. A significant difference in vitamin D status was observed between the COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 groups and lower level was observed in the COVID-19 infected patients. Furthermore, a weak significant association was observed between Fok1 rs2228570 genotype and COVID-19 susceptibility. Larger sample sizes are required to comprehensively understand the association between different genotypes and COVID-19 outcomes.
Vitamin D, COVID-19, rs2228750, Fok1, rs1544410, Bsm1, Genotyping Frequency, Alleles Frequency, Genetic Polymorphisms
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