Ethnic disparities in the distribution of gene expression modulating polymorphisms in key pro-inflammatory cytokines associated with COVID-19 severities

The severity of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is linked to pro-inflammatory cytokine levels. There are still many unanswered questions regarding COVID-19 pathogenesis and prognosis. Significantly increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines characterize severe COVID-19 compared to those with a mild-to-moderate form of the disease. In this study, we used in silico tools to explore the variant allele frequency distributions of three important pro-inflammatory cytokine genes: interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFA), as well as their linkage disequilibrium (LD) patterns in worldwide populations. These cytokines were chosen for their pro-inflammatory properties, importance in determining COVID-19 outcomes, and potential as disease treatment targets. Twenty-two of the variants correlate with altered cytokine expression levels, which may also influence the expression…