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Genes that some people have inherited from their Neanderthal predecessors increase the likelihood of developing more severe forms of COVID-19, the Associated Press and DPA reported, citing the results of a study published in the journal Nature.
The study identified a group of genes associated with an increased risk of hospitalization and respiratory failure in patients infected with the new coronavirus, reports BTA.
Researchers Hugo Ceberg and Svante Paabo have determined that genes belong to a group, or haplotype, that likely came from Neanderthals. This haploid genotype occurs in about 16 percent of the European population and half of the South Asian population, while it does not exist in Africa and East Asia.
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Modern humans and Neanderthals are known to have interbred at different times in history. This led to the exchange of genes that are still found today.
Genes are one of several risk factors for COVID-19, in addition to age, gender, and comorbidities such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular problems.
Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and Max Planck in Germany note that the prevalence of the Neanderthal gene group in question is highest in people from Bangladesh, where about 63 percent have a copy of this haplotype.
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The authors cite studies from the UK showing that people of Bangladeshi descent are twice as likely to die from COVID-19 than the general population.
“It is surprising that the genetic inheritance of Neanderthals has had such tragic consequences during the current pandemic,” said Svante Paabo.
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