Doctors may one day be able to predict the severity of a person's COVID-19 infection by studying that person's DNA, a new study shows.
An Oct. 26 study in Communications Medicine suggests specific signals from DNA methylation vary between those infected and those not infected with COVID-19, and can indicate the severity of the disease even in the early stages.
Researchers studied peripheral blood samples from 164 COVID-19 patients with longitudinal measurements of disease severity and 296 patient controls.
Specific genetic markers of SARS-CoV-2 infection were found alongside indications of how severe the disease might be.
"We are exploring how this platform could add value to the COVID diagnostic world," Kathleen Barnes, PhD, lead author and professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, said in a press release. "We think it adds value to knowing what patients develop more serious disease. This could tell you if you could ride out the infection or if it is likely to get worse."