A group of Polish researchers from the Medical University of Bialystok (east) revealed a genetic variant that makes covid-19 patients more vulnerable to the disease and leads to death.

The discovery, made public on Wednesday, is the result of the work of a research team led by Professors Marcin Moniuszko and Miroslaw Kwasniewski, and has been termed as “innovative” by the University of Bialystok’s administration.

According to the findings of the study, each person’s genetic profile has a major impact on how covid-19 affects them, regardless of other risk factors like obesity, advanced age, or comorbidities.

In a news conference, Professor Moniuszko said that identifying the genetic variant in question in patients can assist establish who is at higher risk of serious illness development.

In this circumstance, these individuals may be given preferential treatment and even additional doses of covid-19 vaccine.

The study involved 1,500 patients and was conducted in partnership with the Warsaw Institute of Pulmonary Diseases and Tuberculosis and the private company ImageneMe.

The existence of the aforementioned genetic variant, which is located on chromosome 3, can increase the carrier’s risk of dying from COVID-19 by twofold compared to non-carriers.

According to Polish scientists, 14 percent of Poles have this gene, while the proportion reduces to 9 percent in the rest of Europe.

Next Thursday, the Polish Minister of Health, Adam Niedzielski, will hold a press conference at the University of Bialystok, along with the scientific team in charge.

Poland is one of the European countries hardest hit by the virus, with more than 100,000 people dying from it as of last Tuesday.

Image Credit: Getty

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