Gene associated with Lupus may protect against severe COVID-19 infection

[Naladog]

Another research. Enjoy your reading📖 journals.plos.org/plosgenet...

Happy weekend for everyone.🦋💜☘️

[WinterSwimmer]

I can't pretend I understood more than a small fraction of this paper. I understood none of the science. However, I am able to understand that this is a peer reviewed paper in a respectable journal and that its claims are quite cautious.

This seems to be the 'meat' of the argument minus the scientific evidence:

"Our results indicate that there are shared genetic effects between the autoimmune disease SLE and the clinical consequences of COVID-19. … Importantly for both, the genetic factors for SLE risk mitigate the outcome following SARS-Cov2 infection. In seeking to uncover the mechanisms underlying these relationships it was apparent that the functional effects of the risk alleles are complex. …

Risk alleles for SLE, that are also risk for severe COVID-19, may persist in the population due to protective effects against other exposures such as fungal infection. The opposing effects we find at the TYK2 locus is compatible with the hypothesis that there are alleles in the general population that, while represent a risk for SLE, persist possibly due to an innate immune protection against pathogens [36–41] including viruses. "

Based on this, I won't be throwing myself into the crowd maskless at the next mass gathering .... but interesting nevertheless and thank you for sharing.

[HantsMan in reply to WinterSwimmer]

I've sent the report to print so that I can also try to digest it, but thanks for posting. This reminds me of Lupus for 1 person defeating HIV, not something I want to throw myself under the bus for either, but does show that our super charged immune system isn't all bad... Although more downs than ups to be fair...

[SLS2103]

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing.

[lupie-Cathy]

that’s really interesting, all my family have had covid but not me! Though I have had 2 vaccines and 3 boosters, compared with my husband who has only had 2 vaccines and 2 boosters he had covid and I was obviously close by him but never got it. My daughter and family all got it too and we had been seeing them at that time. I did have a flare a couple of times after the vaccines but not every time and have had a continuous flare since having the newest booster with the omicron version in it! Though thankfully that seems to be coming to and end now.

[SLS2103 in reply to lupie-Cathy]

Same here! I've even spent a weekend with friends who have both come down with covid (same weekend, one year apart) and I didn't. If its true, it's fascinating!

[Paprika60]

It is very interesting to see some have not caught covid despite the family infection. This is the case with me too. I was very ill with the first two vaccines. Two months flat out. I might as well have had covid itself! The third vaccine with paracetamols as premed made me much less affected. Since than my husband was down with covid. I was with him the whole time...and didn't get it. This seems to be the case of my immune system being really active, ready to knock anything coming my way. I still play safe and wear a mask when in indoor in public spaces. But have not since gone for the vaccine. So far so good!