Polish scientists have found a gene that they say doubles the risk of serious disease with Covid-19, a discovery they hope will help doctors identify the people most at risk for the disease.
While vaccine hesitation is a major factor behind high coronavirus death rates in central and eastern Europe, researchers hope that if they identify those most at risk, they will be encouraged to get vaccinated and given access to more intensive treatment options in case of infection.
“After more than a year and a half of work, it has become possible to identify a gene responsible for the predisposition to serious disease (from coronavirus),” said Health Minister Adam Ninjilsky.
“This means that in the future we will be able to identify people with a predisposition to get seriously ill from Covid,” he added.
Researchers at Bialystok Medical University have found that the gene is the fourth most important factor in determining how serious Covid-19 will be after age, weight and gender.
The gene is present in about 14% of the Polish population, compared to 8-9% of the population in Europe as a whole and 27% of the population in India, said Marcin Muniusko, the professor who led the program.
Other studies have also shown the importance of genetic factors in how seriously a person can get Covid-19.
In November, British scientists said they had identified a version of a gene that could be linked to a double risk of lung weakening from Covid-19.
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