COVID-19 spreading across world correlates with C677T allele of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene prevalence

Abstract

Background: Homocysteine assessment has been proposed as a potential predictive biomarker for the severity of COVID-19 infection. The purpose of this review was to analyze the correlation between the prevalence of MTHFR C677 T gene polymorphism and COVID-19 incidence and mortality worldwide. Methods: Data regarding MTHFR C677 T gene mutation were obtained from the interrogation of the Genome Aggregation Database (genomAD), which is publicly available from the web“https://gnomad.broadinstitute.org.” COVID-19 cases, including prevalence and mortality, were obtained from“https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus” 27 August 2020. Results: There is a clear trend toward the worldwide prevalence of MTHFR 677 T and COVID-19 incidence and mortality. The prevalence of MTHFR 677 T allele in the Latino population, and the incidence and mortality for COVID-19 was higher for this ethnic group than that reported for most other populations globally. Statistical analysis showed a relatively strong correlation between C677 T and death from coronavirus. Conclusions: Genetic polymorphism of MTHFR C677 T may modulate the incidence and severity of COVID-19 pandemic infection.