UCLA researchers study genetics ’ role in COVID-19 susceptibility, severity

“One of the most troubling things about COVID-19 is that we have a limited ability to predict how sick a specific individual will get,” said Dr. Daniel Geschwind.Geschwind is the MacDonald Distinguished Professor in Human Genetics at theDavid Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and a member of theEli and Edythe Broad Center of  Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA. And he ’s part of a team of UCLA scientists conducting research to learn why certain people get sick from the virus that causes COVID-19 — and why others don’t.Millions of people around the world have been infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and many have shown no symptoms at all. Those who have gotten sick have experienced a dizzying array of symptoms including fever, cough, loss of smell or taste, difficulty breathing, digestive issues, organ damage and stroke.While the elderly and people with some preexisting conditions including heart and lung disease are more likely to get sick, there are new cases every day of people who belong to none of these groups and end up with severe symptoms.“The vast majority of young people can be exposed to the virus and seemingly develop no symptoms, and yet there are a handful of healthy 20- and 30-year-olds ending up in intensive care units on ventilators,” said Geschwind, who alsodirects theInstitute for Precision Health at UCLA. “Likewise, we know age is a major, major factor, but we see some older people who get infected an...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news