Researchers from the School of Public Health, LKS Faculty of Medicine of The University of Hong Kong (HKUMed), in collaboration with The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)’s Faculty of Medicine (CU Medicine), confirmed smoking, obesity and lower socioeconomic position (SEP) likely increase the risk of contracting mild to severe COVID-19, using data from large scale genome-wide association studies. Other exposures thought to be related to COVID-19 risk, such as glycaemic traits, type 2 diabetes, and vitamin D, are likely unrelated. The researchers also found angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the key receptor of SARS-CoV-2, mediates part of the detrimental effect of obesity and SEP. The findings have been published in the Journal of Medical Virology, a peer-reviewed virology journal.
Background
Epidemiologic studies show a variety of factors related to increased risk of…
