Association of IL-10 Gene in Protection Against COVID-19 Disease

 The medical community is facing a new challenge with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, as the severity of the disease is largely determined by the overexpression of proinflammatory cytokines, leading to endothelial dysfunction and organ damage, especially in the lungs.

 It is believed that mutations might be linked to severe illness. This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the correlation between COVID-19 severity in Iranian pediatric patients who were referred to Namazi Hospital (Shiraz, Iran) and interleukin 10 (IL-10) gene polymorphisms (rs1800896, rs1800871, and rs1800872).

 The study comprised 53 pediatric patients with COVID-19, who were divided into mild/moderate (n = 44) and severe (n = 9) groups. Nasal swabs and whole blood samples were collected from each patient who participated in the study. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) confirmation (E, RdRp) and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) were used for IL-10 gene polymorphism genotyping.

 The study investigated the association between IL-10 gene polymorphisms and COVID-19 severity in pediatric patients. The results showed that the GA genotype at the IL10-1082 locus was protective against severe symptoms and that all severe cases were male with the AA/GA genotype. The other two loci, IL10-819 and IL-10-592, did not show any significant association with COVID-19 severity. The study also showed that shortness of breath was the only symptom significantly associated with COVID-19 severity and that age and gender did not affect the disease outcome.

 The most common symptoms in the mild/moderate group were cough and fever; however, shortness of breath and cough were the most common in the severe group. Coronavirus disease 2019 severity is related to the IL-10 (rs1800872) gene polymorphism, with the GA genotype providing protective effects.