Gene That Naturally Protects People Against Covid Discovered

Two research papers found that the frequency of variants of the gene “MUC22” was twice as high in the mild Covid-19 group as in severe patients, and higher still in resilient super-agers.

This gene belongs to the “muncin” family and is associated with the production of mucus, which lubricates and protects the airways.

On the other hand, overproduction of mucus has been linked to the lung inflammation typical of severe Covid-19.

One research paper involved a group of resilient older people aged 90 or more, and the other analyzed a case of severe Covid-19 in identical twins, only one of whom suffered from long-term symptoms of the disease.

Read on health.economictimes.indiatimes.com