Impact of I/D polymorphism of angiotensin-converting enzyme 1 (ACE1) gene on the severity of COVID-19 patients

Verma, Sushma; Abbas, Mohammad; Verma, Shrikant; Khan, Faizan Haider; Raza, Syed Tasleem; Siddiqi, Zeba; Ahmad, Israr; Mahdi, Farzana

Severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has first emerged from China in December 2019 and causes coronavirus induced disease 19 (COVID19). Since then researchers worldwide have been struggling to detect the possible pathogenesis of this disease. COVID19 showed a wide range of clinical behavior from asymptomatic to severe acute respiratory disease syndrome. However, the etiology of susceptibility to severe lung injury is not yet fully understood. Angiotensin-converting enzyme1 (ACE1) convert angiotensin I into Angiotensin II that was further metabolized by ACE 2 (ACE2). The binding ACE2 receptor to SARS-CoV-2 facilitate its enter into the host cell. The interaction and imbalance between ACE1 and ACE2 play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of lung injury. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the association of ACE1 I/D polymorphism with severity of Covid-19. The study included RT-PCR confirmed 269 cases of Covid-19. All cases were genotyped for ACE1 I/D polymorphism using polymerase chain reaction and followed by statistical analysis (SPSS, version 15.0). We found that ACE1 DD genotype, frequency of D allele, older age (≥46 years), unmarried status, and presence of diabetes and hypertension were significantly higher in severe COVID19 patient. ACE1 ID genotype was significantly independently associated with high socio-economic COVID19 patients (OR: 2.48, 95% CI: 1.331–4.609). These data suggest that the ACE1 genotype may impact the incidence and clinical outcome of COVID-19 and serve as a predictive marker for COVID-19 risk and severity.