Genetics, lifestyle play crucial role in Covid susceptibility: Study

Hyderabad: Genetics, immunity and lifestyle are among the contributing factors for Covid-19 susceptibility, an analysis by an international team of scientists said on Friday.

The study was directed by Dr Kumarasamy Thangaraj, Director, Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics and Chief Scientist, CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), here, and Prof Gyaneshwer Chaubey, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, a press release from CCMB said.

With growing data, it is becoming quite clear



that there are several factors, including genetics, immunity and lifestyle, that contribute to Covid-19 susceptibility. CCMBs expertise in population studies is proving useful in understanding these details of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, Vinay Nandicoori, Director, CCMB, said.

An earlier study suggested that a specific DNA segment, strongly associated with severe Covid-19 infection and hospitalisation, was found in 50 per cent of South Asians as compared to 16 per cent of Europeans.