COVID-19 susceptibility variants associate with blood clots, thrombophlebitis and circulatory diseases

Epidemiological studies suggest that individuals with comorbid conditions including diabetes, chronic lung, inflammatory and vascular disease, are at higher risk of adverse COVID-19 outcomes. Genome-wide association studies have identified several loci associated with increased susceptibility and severity for COVID-19. However, it is not clear whether these associations are genetically determined or not. We used a Phenome-Wide Association (PheWAS) approach to investigate the role of genetically determined COVID-19 susceptibility on disease related outcomes. PheWAS analyses were performed in order to identify traits and diseases related to COVID-19 susceptibility and severity, evaluated through a predictive COVID-19 risk score. We utilised phenotypic data in up to 400,000 individuals from the UK Biobank, including Hospital Episode Statistics and General Practice data. We identified a spectrum of associations between both genetically determined COVID-19 susceptibility and severity with a number of traits. COVID-19 risk was associated with increased risk for phlebitis and thrombophlebitis (OR = 1.11, p = 5.36e(-08)). We also identified significant signals between COVID-19 susceptibility with blood clots in the leg (OR = 1.1, p = 1.66e(-16)) and with increased risk for blood clots in the lung (OR = 1.12, p = 1.45 e(-10)). Our study identifies significant association of genetically determined COVID-19 with increased blood clot events in leg and lungs. The reported associations between both COVID-19 susceptibility and severity and other diseases adds to the identification and stratification of individuals at increased risk, adverse outcomes and long-term effects.

Automated summary

Epidemiological and genome-wide association studies have shown that individuals with comorbid conditions are at higher risk of adverse COVID-19 outcomes. The Phenome-Wide Association approach identified significant associations between genetically determined COVID-19 susceptibility and increased risk for clotting events in the leg and lungs. This adds to the identification of individuals at increased risk for adverse outcomes and long-term effects.