ABSTRACT
Background/Objectives: COVID-19 can affect anyone with the disease's symptoms ranging from mild to very severe. Although environmental, clinical, and social factors play an important role in the disease process, host genetic factors are not negligible either. In the present article, we attempted to elaborate on the spectrum of risk variants and genes identified in different ways and their possible relationship to COVID-19 severity and/or mortality. Method(s): We present three different approaches to search host genetic risk factors that influence the development of COVID-19 disease. First, we analyzed the exome sequencing data obtained from Slovak patients who died of COVID-19. Second, we selected risk factors/genes that were associated with COVID-19. Finally, we compared each group of found risk variants with data from dead patients and two control groups, worldwide public data of the Non-Finnish European population from the gnomAD database, and genetic data from Non-invasive prenatal testing in the Slovak population. Result(s): We illustrate the utility of genomic data showed strong association in meta-analyses conducted by the COVID-19 HGI Browser. Conclusion(s): To our knowledge, the present study is the first population analysis of COVID-19 variants worldwide and also in the Slovak population that provides different approaches to the analysis of genetic variants in whole-exome sequencing data from patients who have died of COVID-19.
ABSTRACT
Objective: After the outbreak of the global pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection at the end of the year 2019, it took one year to start vaccinatioagainst this infection with products from various manufacturers. As of November 2021, more than 8 billion vaccine doses against COVID-19 havbeen administered, which is essentially linked to a spike in adverse events reports following these vaccinations, including a number of neurologicaadverse events. Case Report: We report a case of a 71-year-old patient with lethal fulminant onset of Guillain-Barre syndrome after the second dose of mRNA vaccintozinameran. This is, to our best knowledge, the first case report of this adverse event supported by autopsy and histological examination. Thpatient presented with progressive ascending weakness and paresthesia, with typical cytoalbuminologic dissociation in cerebrospinal fluid ansevere motoric and sensitive axonal-demyelinating polyneuropathy on electromyography. The patient's history and complex diagnostic workup dinot reveal any other possible causative factors. The patient did not respond to the treatment with intravenous immunoglobulins and died 10 daylater due to aspiration bronchopneumonia as a complication of respiratory muscles paralysis. Conclusion(s): Most of the reported adverse reactions following COVID-19 vaccination include mild or moderate events noticed in the post-vaccination periodhowever, reports of possible lethal outcomes are no exception. Still, the overall incidence of GBS after vaccination does not significantly exceed itincidence in the general population. Each such report should be carefully examined by a team of specialists to prevent overestimation of lethaadverse events linked to vaccinations, especially in fatalities that happen in the post-vaccination period. Copyright © 2022 Mosna et al.