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18h ago

Genetic Variant Near FOXP4 Found to Significantly Increase Long COVID Risk

An international study confirms a 60% elevated risk linked to a FOXP4-adjacent gene variant, advancing understanding of long COVID's biological mechanisms.

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Overview

  • A genome-wide association study (GWAS) identified a genetic variant near the FOXP4 gene that increases susceptibility to long COVID by approximately 60%.
  • The study analyzed data from 6,450 long COVID cases and over one million controls across 24 studies in 16 countries, with findings confirmed in a replication cohort of 9,500 cases.
  • FOXP4, a gene critical to lung development and function, is implicated in long COVID through potential disruptions in lung repair and immune responses.
  • The research, published in *Nature Genetics*, was led by teams at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland.
  • This discovery lays the groundwork for precision medicine approaches, including risk stratification and targeted therapies for individuals with long COVID.