Association of IL-10 Gene in Protection Against COVID-19 Disease

Abstract

Background: The medical community is facing a new challenge with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, as the severity of the disease is largely determined by the overexpression of proinflammatory cytokines, leading to endothelial dysfunction and organ damage, especially in the lungs. Objectives: It is believed that mutations might be linked to severe illness. This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the correlation between COVID-19 severity in Iranian pediatric patients who were referred to Namazi Hospital (Shiraz, Iran) and interleukin 10 (IL-10) gene polymorphisms (rs1800896, rs1800871, and rs1800872). Methods: The study comprised 53 pediatric patients with COVID-19, who were divided into mild/moderate (n = 44) and severe (n = 9) groups. Nasal swabs and whole blood samples were collected from each patient who participated in the study. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) confirmation (E, RdRp) and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) were used for IL-10 gene polymorphism genotyping. Results: The study investigated the association between IL-10 gene polymorphisms and COVID-19 severity in pediatric patients. The results showed that the GA genotype at the IL10-1082 locus was protective against severe symptoms and that all severe cases were male with the AA/GA genotype. The other two loci, IL10-819 and IL-10-592, did not show any significant association with COVID-19 severity. The study also showed that shortness of breath was the only symptom significantly associated with COVID-19 severity and that age and gender did not affect the disease outcome. Conclusions: The most common symptoms in the mild/moderate group were cough and fever; however, shortness of breath and cough were the most common in the severe group. Coronavirus disease 2019 severity is related to the IL-10 (rs1800872) gene polymorphism, with the GA genotype providing protective effects.