An international team of researchers has discovered a genetic link to long-term symptoms after COVID-19. The identified gene variant is located close to the FOXP4 gene, which affects lung function. This is reported by UNN with reference to MedicalXpress.
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According to the publication, scientists from 16 countries have discovered a gene variant that can increase the risk of developing a long course of COVID-19 by approximately 60%. This is according to a new study conducted under the leadership of researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and the Institute of Molecular Medicine in Finland and published in the journal Nature Genetics.
This gene variant is located next to the FOXP4 gene, which affects the development and functioning of the lungs. This may explain the appearance of symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue and cognitive difficulties that persist even after recovery.
"Our results suggest that impaired lung function plays a key role in the development of long-term COVID-19. Although this gene variant significantly increases the risk, it is important to remember that this is only part of a complex picture," says one of the authors of the study, Hugo Zeberg from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.
The genetic analysis covered more than 6,450 patients with post-COVID symptoms and more than a million people in the control group. The results were also confirmed in an independent study involving another 9,500 cases.
The head of the study, Hanna Ollila from the University of Helsinki, emphasized that genetic data allows a better understanding of the risks, especially when the mechanisms of the disease are still not fully known.
"Genetic studies are particularly effective for studying diseases, the nature of which still remains unclear," she noted.
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