— COVID-19 severity strongly linked with sickle cell anemia as well
COVID-19 patients with sickle cell trait (SCT) were prone to poor outcomes that appeared to be driven in part by kidney dysfunction, a genetic association study suggested.
Among U.S. veterans of African ancestry, SCT was tied to a higher chance of COVID-related mortality versus those without the trait (OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.13-2.77). The presence of either sickle cell anemia or another SCT-related condition was linked with more than 93-times higher odds of severe COVID-19 illness (OR 93.17, 95% CI 78.60-110.44), according to Shiuh-Wen Luoh, MD, PhD, of the VA Portland Health Care System in Oregon, and colleagues. Read more in MedPage Today.