The major genetic risk factor for severe Covid-19 is inherited from Neandertals • Hacker News Board

Re: The major genetic risk factor for severe Covid-19 is inherited from Neandertals

#11

Post by modeless » Sat, Jul 04, 2020, 3:47 AM UTC

herf wrote: post #6

If you have 23andme, the exact allele is not on the chip. However, a different allele is strongly associated with the region: https://you.23andme.com/tools/data/?query=rs10490770&filter_... The major A/A variant is listed as T/T on 23andme. If you have a result other than "T/T", you're likely to be in the high-risk group. refs: https://www.snpedia.com/index.php/Rs11385942 [not on 23andme] https://www.snpedia.com/inde…

That 23andme link doesn't work for me, it says no genes or markers found for rs10490770.

Re: The major genetic risk factor for severe Covid-19 is inherited from Neandertals

#12

Post by smt88 » Sat, Jul 04, 2020, 3:54 AM UTC

not2b wrote: post #7

But how can this be, given that African-Americans, with far less Neanderthal ancestry than European-Americans, are dying of COVID-19 at a much higher rate in the US?

The genetic risk is one factor. There are many others. In the case of Americans of African descent, the other factors have a much stronger effect.

Re: The major genetic risk factor for severe Covid-19 is inherited from Neandertals

#13

Post by roywiggins » Sat, Jul 04, 2020, 3:54 AM UTC

slicktux wrote: post #9

rossdavidh wrote: post #5

"Here, we show that the risk is conferred by a genomic segment of ~50 kb that is inherited from Neandertals and occurs at a frequency of ~30% in south Asia and ~8% in Europe." Hmmm...thus far, the mortality per capita from Covid-19 has been much higher in Europe, especially western Europe, than in south Asia. Not saying that couldn't change, but the weekly mortality peaks in western Europe were literally an order of…

Or maybe the stats used for the data in European countries are flawed...or there is less testing in the latter countries....

You don't need testing, just accurate body counts. You can see COVID hit Europe as a spike in excess deaths, even if you weren't testing. If there were currently a mortality spike in Bangladesh even higher than Europe's, it would not go unnoticed. Disappearing bodies is not that easy.

Re: The major genetic risk factor for severe Covid-19 is inherited from Neandertals

#14

Post by drocer88 » Sat, Jul 04, 2020, 3:56 AM UTC

modeless wrote: post #11

herf wrote: post #6

If you have 23andme, the exact allele is not on the chip. However, a different allele is strongly associated with the region: https://you.23andme.com/tools/data/?query=rs10490770&filter_... The major A/A variant is listed as T/T on 23andme. If you have a result other than "T/T", you're likely to be in the high-risk group. refs: https://www.snpedia.com/index.php/Rs11385942 [not on 23andme] https://www.snpedia.com/inde…

That 23andme link doesn't work for me, it says no genes or markers found for rs10490770.

Try this : https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/projects/SNP/snp_ref.cgi?do_not...

This breaks down the population frequencies. Of note: the HAPMAP AA frequencies: Gujarati Indians in Houston Texas : 38% , African ancestry in Southwest USA: 4%. It is absent in Chinese, Japanese and sub-saharan Africans.

Re: The major genetic risk factor for severe Covid-19 is inherited from Neandertals

#15

Post by pnako » Sat, Jul 04, 2020, 3:59 AM UTC

not2b wrote: post #7

But how can this be, given that African-Americans, with far less Neanderthal ancestry than European-Americans, are dying of COVID-19 at a much higher rate in the US?

There are many risk factors, not just this one.

Re: The major genetic risk factor for severe Covid-19 is inherited from Neandertals

#16

Post by IncRnd » Sat, Jul 04, 2020, 4:02 AM UTC

drocer88 wrote: post #10

xikrib wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Given that there's a strong correlation between race and poverty in the US (via racism) and a strong correlation between poverty and infection rate which, it seems to mean poverty is a greater indicator than genetics. After all the genetic factor only comes into play after exposure, while poverty increases the likelyhood of exposure

Other factors may be obesity ( https://www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov/omh/browse.aspx?lvl=4&lvl... ) , diabetes ( https://www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov/omh/browse.aspx?lvl=4&lvl... ) and Vitamin D deficiency ( http://www.cooperinstitute.org/2019/09/24/african-americans-... ).

What underlies all of that is the strength of the immune system, which will be low for many diets and lifestyles.

Re: The major genetic risk factor for severe Covid-19 is inherited from Neandertals

#17

Post by ethanwillis » Sat, Jul 04, 2020, 4:08 AM UTC

roywiggins wrote: post #13

slicktux wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or maybe the stats used for the data in European countries are flawed...or there is less testing in the latter countries....

You don't need testing, just accurate body counts. You can see COVID hit Europe as a spike in excess deaths, even if you weren't testing. If there were currently a mortality spike in Bangladesh even higher than Europe's , it would not go unnoticed. Disappearing bodies is not that easy.

I mean.. China's official numbers are around 84k infected.. and much less dead than that. So...

Re: The major genetic risk factor for severe Covid-19 is inherited from Neandertals

#18

Post by jjtheblunt » Sat, Jul 04, 2020, 4:19 AM UTC

xikrib wrote: post #8

not2b wrote: post #7

But how can this be, given that African-Americans, with far less Neanderthal ancestry than European-Americans, are dying of COVID-19 at a much higher rate in the US?

Given that there's a strong correlation between race and poverty in the US (via racism) and a strong correlation between poverty and infection rate which, it seems to mean poverty is a greater indicator than genetics. After all the genetic factor only comes into play after exposure, while poverty increases the likelyhood of exposure

is NYC with its highest rate of cases in the USA a generalization: density of people (which happens in poverty and in opulence, for different reasons) increases likelihood of exposure?

Re: The major genetic risk factor for severe Covid-19 is inherited from Neandertals

#19

Post by LegitShady » Sat, Jul 04, 2020, 5:48 AM UTC

herf wrote: post #6

If you have 23andme, the exact allele is not on the chip. However, a different allele is strongly associated with the region: https://you.23andme.com/tools/data/?query=rs10490770&filter_... The major A/A variant is listed as T/T on 23andme. If you have a result other than "T/T", you're likely to be in the high-risk group. refs: https://www.snpedia.com/index.php/Rs11385942 [not on 23andme] https://www.snpedia.com/inde…

This is actually the first time the 23andme results did anything useful for me. Thank!

Re: The major genetic risk factor for severe Covid-19 is inherited from Neandertals

#20

Post by gorkish » Sat, Jul 04, 2020, 6:01 AM UTC

I do not have any particular comment on this gene or the topic of COVID-19, but I have a related question for the experts out there.

Let's say I were to send off to Dante labs and get my entire genome sequenced. Given emerging research like this where someone says "we have identified this specific gene that does so-and-so," does the average geek have any hope of being able to determine if they have a copy of that gene? Or does that type of interpretation require the effort of a trained expert?

How close are we to receiving a personalized genetic vulnerability feed? I'm sure the hypochondriacs out there would sign up in a heartbeat.