Interferon-Induced Transmembrane Protein-3 Rs12252-G Variant Increases COVID-19 Mortality Potential in Egyptian Population

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) represented an international health risk. Variants of the interferon-induced transmembrane protein-3 (<i>IFITM3</i>) gene can increase the risk of developing severe viral infections. This cross-sectional study investigated the association between <i>IFITM3</i> rs12252A>G single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and COVID-19 severity and mortality in 100 Egyptian patients. All participants were subjected to serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) determination by ELISA and <i>IFITM3</i> rs12252 genotyping by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Of all participants, 85.0% had the <i>IFITM3</i> rs12252 homozygous AA genotype, whereas 15.0% had the heterozygous AG genotype. None of our participants had the homozygous GG genotype. The <i>IFITM3</i> rs12252A allele was found in 92.5% and the G allele in only 7.5%. There was no significant association (<i>p</i> > 0.05) between the <i>IFITM3</i> rs12252 SNP and COVID-19 severity, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, or IL-6 serum levels. The heterozygous AG genotype frequency showed a significant increase among participants who died (32.0%) compared with those who had been cured (9.3%). The mutant G allele was associated with patients' death. Its frequency among cured participants was 8.5%, whereas in those who died was 24.2% (<i>p</i> = 0.024) with 3.429 odds ratio [95% confidence interval: 1.1-10.4]. In conclusion, this study revealed a significant association between the G allele variant of <i>IFITM3</i> rs12252 and COVID-19 mortality. However, results were unable to establish a significant link between rs12252 polymorphism, disease severity, ICU admission, or serum IL-6 levels.