Unraveling COVID-19 relationship with anxiety disorders and symptoms using genome-wide data.

BACKGROUND: There is still a limited understanding of the dynamics contributing to the comorbidity of COVID-19 and anxiety outcomes. METHODS: To dissect the pleiotropic mechanisms contributing to COVID-19/anxiety comorbidity, we used genome-wide data from UK Biobank (up to 420,531 participants), FinnGen Project (up to 329,077 participants), Million Veteran Program (175,163 participants), and COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative (up to 122,616 cases and 2,475,240 controls). Specifically, we assessed global and local genetic correlation and genetically inferred effects linking COVID-19 outcomes (infection, hospitalization, and severe respiratory symptoms) to anxiety disorders and symptoms. RESULTS: We observed a strong genetic correlation of anxiety disorder with COVID-19 positive status (rg = 0.35, p = 2×10-4) and COVID-19 hospitalization (rg = 0.31, p = 7.2×10-4). Among anxiety symptoms, "Tense, sore, or aching muscles during worst period of anxiety" was genetically correlated with COVID-19 positive status (rg = 0.33, p = 0.001), while "Frequent trouble falling or staying asleep during worst period of anxiety" was genetically correlated with COVID-19 hospitalization (rg = 0.24, p = 0.004). Through a latent causal variable analysis, we observed that COVID-19 outcomes have statistically significant genetic causality proportion (gcp) on anxiety symptoms (e.g., COVID-19 positive status→"Recent easy annoyance or irritability" │gcp│ = 0.18, p = 6.72×10-17). Conversely, anxiety disorders appear to have a possible causal effect on COVID-19 (│gcp│ = 0.38, p = 3.17×10-9). Additionally, we also identified multiple loci with evidence of local genetic correlation between anxiety and COVID-19. These appear to be related to genetic effects shared with lung function, brain morphology, alcohol and tobacco use, and hematologic parameters. CONCLUSIONS: This study provided insights into the pleiotropic mechanisms linking COVID-19 and anxiety outcomes, suggesting differences between dynamics related to anxiety disorders and those related to anxiety symptoms.

Gene Discovery and Biological Insights into Anxiety Disorders from a Multi-Ancestry Genome-wide Association Study of >1.2 Million Participants.

We leveraged information from more than 1.2 million participants to investigate the genetics of anxiety disorders across five continental ancestral groups. Ancestry-specific and cross-ancestry genome-wide association studies identified 51 anxiety-associated loci, 39 of which are novel. Additionally, polygenic risk scores derived from individuals of European descent were associated with anxiety in African, Admixed-American, and East Asian groups. The heritability of anxiety was enriched for genes expressed in the limbic system, the cerebral cortex, the cerebellum, the metencephalon, the entorhinal cortex, and the brain stem. Transcriptome- and proteome-wide analyses highlighted 115 genes associated with anxiety through brain-specific and cross-tissue regulation. We also observed global and local genetic correlations with depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder and putative causal relationships with several physical health conditions. Overall, this study expands the knowledge regarding the genetic risk and pathogenesis of anxiety disorders, highlighting the importance of investigating diverse populations and integrating multi-omics information.

Unraveling COVID-19 Relationship with Anxiety Disorders and Symptoms.

Background: While COVID-19 outcomes are associated with increased anxiety, individuals affected by anxiety disorders are more likely to develop severe COVID-19 outcomes. Methods: We used genome-wide data from UK Biobank (up to 420,531 participants), FinnGen Project (up to 329,077 participants), Million Veteran Program (175,163 participants), and COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative (up to 122,616 cases and 2,475,240 controls) to investigate possible causal effects and shared genetic mechanisms linking COVID-19 outcomes to anxiety disorders and symptoms. Results: We observed a strong genetic correlation of anxiety disorder with COVID-19 positive status (rg=0.35, p=2 × 10 -4 ) and COVID-19 hospitalization (rg=0.31, p=7.2 × 10 -4 ). Among anxiety symptoms, "Tense, sore, or aching muscles during worst period of anxiety" was genetically correlated with COVID-19 positive status (rg=0.33, p=0.001), while "Frequent trouble falling or staying asleep during worst period of anxiety" was genetically correlated with COVID-19 hospitalization (rg=0.24, p=0.004). Through a latent causal variable analysis, we observed that COVID-19 outcomes have statistically significant genetic causality proportion (gcp) on anxiety symptoms (e.g., COVID-19 positive status→"Recent easy annoyance or irritability" │gcp│=0.18, p=6.72 × 10 -17 ). Conversely, anxiety disorders appear to have a possible causal effect on COVID-19 (│gcp│=0.38, p=3.17 × 10 -9 ). Additionally, we also identified multiple loci with evidence of local genetic correlation between anxiety and COVID-19. These appear to be related to genetic effects shared with lung function, brain morphology, alcohol and tobacco use, and hematologic parameters. Conclusions: This study provided important insights into the relationship between COVID-19 and mental health, differentiating the dynamics linking anxiety disorders to COVID-19 from the effect of COVID-19 on anxiety symptoms.