Genetic overlap between idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and COVID−19
Author(s)
Type
Working Paper
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) have identified genetic loci associated with both traits, suggesting possible shared biological mechanisms. Using updated GWAS of COVID-19 and IPF, we evaluated the genetic overlap between these two diseases and identified four genetic loci (including one novel) with likely shared causal variants between severe COVID-19 and IPF. Although there was a positive genetic correlation between COVID-19 and IPF, two of these four shared genetic loci had an opposite direction of effect. IPF-associated genetic variants related to telomere dysfunction and spindle assembly showed no association with COVID-19 phenotypes. Together, these results suggest there are both shared and distinct biological processes driving IPF and severe COVID-19 phenotypes.
Date Issued
2021-12-08
Citation
2021
Publisher
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Copyright Statement
© 2021 The Author(s). It is made available under a CC-BY 4.0 International license.
License URL
Identifier
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.12.08.21267459v1
Publication Status
Published