ABSTRACT
Background. Studying COVID-19 prevalence among children is important for constant monitoring of the epidemiological situation, determination of the most vulnerable categories of children, and planning preventive measures. The aim of our research was a retrospective study of COVID-19 prevalence among children of Ukraine in 2020. Materials and methods. A retrospective study of COVID-19 prevalence among children from diflerent regions of Ukraine was conducted, based on official statistical reports of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. The prevalence of COVI D-19 was measured as the number of cases per 100,000 children. Results. Among the population of Ukraine, children with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection amounted to 0.12 %, and among the children's population of Ukritine - 0.7 %, while the prevalence rate reached 688.64. The incidence ofCOVID-19 among children in 2020 was highest in Kyiv, Chernivtsi, and Zaporizhzhia regions, and the lowest one was recorded in Kirovohrad, Luhansk, and Donetsk regions. In the age structure of Ukrainian children with SARS-CoV-2 infection, adolescents (63.8 %) prevailed. Conclusions. Adolescents were the age group of children most vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 in Ukraine. The relatively low COVID-19 prevalence among children in Ukraine may be evidence of underdiag-nosis due to insufficient coverage of laboratory testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection in the first year of the pandemic. © 2022 Euroasian Entomological Journal. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Purpose - to study the features of vitamin D status and the effect of vitamin D3 supplementation on 25(OH)D in the serum of school-age children with COVID-19, taking into account the genotype of the rs2228570 polymorphism of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene. Materials and methods. The pilot, prospective, open-lapel study included 36 schoolchildren aged 9-16 who experienced asymptomatic (12 children) and mild / moderate (24 children) COVID-19. In all children were studied the content of 25(OH)D in blood serum and its dynamics underthe influence of supplementation of 10001U per day for 12 weeks, taking into account the genotypes and frequency of distribution of alleles of the rs2228570 polymorphism of the VDR gene (26 children). Results. Children with asymptomatic COVID-19 were characterized by normal values of 25(OH)D (32.68+2.12 ng/ml). Children who underwent mild / moderate COVID-19 were probably more (41.7%) likely to have a state of hypovitaminosis vitamin D (27.36+2.12 ng/ml) and fewer children (58.3%) with an optimal level of 25(OH)D than children with asymptomatic disease. In 80.7% of the examined children, the genotype was determined by the rs2228570 polymorphism of the VDR gene, which includes the G allele with greater transcriptional activity of the VDR receptor. Supplementation of 1000 IU of cholecalciferol per day, regardless of 25(OH)D status and genotype for this polymorphism probably increased the supply of vitamin D in examined children with a tendency to increase 25(OH)D in children with genotype by polymorphism rs2228570 VDR gene, which includes allele G. Conclusions. Vitamin D deficiency can be considered as a risk factor for the symptomatic course of COVID-19 in children, which requires monitoring and correction of vitamin D status, the effectiveness of which can be determined bythe genotype of the rs2228570 polymorphism of the VDR gene. Further studies of the role of vitamin D/VDR complex in the development and severity of COVID-19 in children will significantly expand the understanding of the pathogenetic relationship, to suggest and predict the effectiveness of personalized vitamin D supplementation regimens. © 2022 by the Author(s).
ABSTRACT
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which was first recorded in China in December 2019, quickly spread to other countries and in a short period of time, the local outbreak escalated into a pandemic. There are significantly more cases of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality in European countries than in East Asia, where the disease was first detected. Such population differences are unique, especially for SARS-CoV-2 and are due to both socio-behavioral differences and features of the gene pool of the population of different countries. For infectious diseases, such as COVID-19, an important point is the genetic characteristics of individuals, which can determine its resistance or susceptibility to infection. Therefore, studies of the factors of hereditary predisposition to SARS-CoV-2 infection, as well as severity and mortality are extremely relevant. After genotyping among the healthy population of Ukraine and collecting relevant data from some European countries, we determined the correlation between morbidity, mortality from COVID-19 and the prevalence of genotype II (ACE1, I/D polymorphism) in the populations of Ukraine and several European countries. There was a negative correlation between the carrier of genotype II and susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection per one million population (R = -0.53, p < 0.05), so individuals with genotype II can be considered more resistant to infection SARS-CoV-2. Further study of the role of allelic variants of the ACE1 gene in the development of severity and complications affected patients of COVID-19, are promising for identified of genetic markers for development of personalized therapy.