GENETICS AND IMMUNOLOGICAL FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH OBESITY-RELATED CORONAVIRUS SEVERITY

While most COVID-19 cases are mild to moderate, severe conditions require mechanical ventilation. The known risk factors for severe symptoms include age, and comorbid conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and coronary artery disease. Recently, obesity was found by many studies as an independent risk factor for severity. Additionally, Metabolic syndrome and its related comorbidities of obesity, have all been associated with a poorer Covid-19 clinical presentation. In this study, we propose to incorporate an intelligent functional genomic evaluation of the individual risk of Metabolic syndrome, and the correlation of the latter to clinical outcome in Covid-19 patients. With collaboration with the DNA company and Greensky labs, we are using a novel approach to investigate the genetic factors associated with the severity of symptoms in COVID-19.