Significant Association of Interleukin-6 Polymorphism and Clinical Data with COVID-19 Severity in the Southwest of Iran.

Abstract

Aim: Genetic predisposition is an important factor related to the enhancement of inflammation or immune responses in COVID-19 patients. This study aimed to explore the association between the IL-6 (rs1800795) polymorphism and COVID-19 severity in the southwest of Iran. Methods: We evaluated these variants in 100 patients with moderate and 100 patients with severe COVID-19 using an (Amplification Refractory Mutation System Polymerase Chain Reaction) ARMS-PCR assay. In addition, we collected clinical characteristics of patients to assess their association with the severity of COVID-19. Statistically, the significance in the present evaluation was p < 0.05. Results: Our findings showed a significant association with the SNP-174G/C of the IL-6 gene between the moderate and severe groups of COVID-19 patients under the dominant and codominant genetic models (p = 0.02 and 0.03, respectively). The frequency of the G allele was notably higher in the severe group compared to the moderate group (p = 0.02). Also, the rs1800795 genotypes, as well as the patients' age and gender (p = 0.13 and 0.31, respectively), were detected. Additionally, we confirmed a significant correlation between clinical data known as risk factors for COVID-19 severity. Conclusion: Taken together, understanding the risk factors associated with the increased severity of COVID-19 may provide the opportunity for early and useful intervention in individuals at higher risk.