International Journal of General Medicine (Jun 2022)

Low Prevalence of Mild Alpha-1-Antitrypsin Deficiency in Hospitalized COVID-19-Patients

  • Nygren D,
  • Mölstad U,
  • Thulesius H,
  • Hillman M,
  • Broman LM,
  • Tanash H,
  • Landin-Olsson M,
  • Rasmussen M,
  • Thunander M

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 15
pp. 5843 – 5848

Abstract

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David Nygren,1 Ulrica Mölstad,2 Hans Thulesius,2– 4 Magnus Hillman,5,6 Lars Mikael Broman,7,8 Hanan Tanash,9,10 Mona Landin-Olsson,5,6 Magnus Rasmussen,1 Maria Thunander2,6,11 1Division of Infection Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden; 2Department of Research and Development, Health Care Region Kronoberg, Växjö, Sweden; 3Department of Medicine and Optometry, Linnaeus University, Växjö, Sweden; 4Department of Clinical Sciences, Family Medicine, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden; 5Diabetes Research Laboratory, Biomedical Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden; 6Department of Clinical Sciences, Endocrinology and Diabetes, Lund University, Lund, Sweden; 7ECMO Centre Karolinska, Pediatric Perioperative Medicine and Intensive Care, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden; 8Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; 9Department of Clinical Sciences, Respiratory Medicine, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden; 10Department of Respiratory Medicine, Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden; 11Department of Internal Medicine, Endocrinology, Växjö Central Hospital, Växjö, SwedenCorrespondence: David Nygren, Division of Infection Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden, Tel +4646171192, Fax +4646176002, Email [email protected]: Alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) has been shown to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 cell entry and suggested as a therapeutic agent for COVID-19. Furthermore, epidemiological association of high prevalence of Alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) and regional severity of COVID-19-impact has been hypothesized. In our study setting, the estimated prevalence rates of mild (PI*MZ, PI*SS or PI*MS) and moderate-to-severe AATD (PI*ZZ or PI*SZ) are high, 9% and 0.2%, respectively. Our primary aim was to examine the prevalence rate of AATD among hospitalized COVID-19-patients.Methods: In this prospective observational study, enrollment occurred from December 2020 to January 2021 in two COVID-19-units at Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden. Case definition was a patient hospitalized due to COVID-19. Patients were screened for AATD with PI-typing and if results were inconclusive, PCR for the S- and Z-genes were performed. Patients were categorized as severe or moderate COVID-19 and 30-day-mortality data were collected. The primary outcome was prevalence rate of AATD. The secondary outcome investigated association between presence of mild AATD and severe COVID-19.Results: We enrolled 61 patients with COVID-19. Two patients out of 61 (3%) had mild AATD (PI*MZ) and none had moderate-to-severe AATD. 30/61 (49%) had severe COVID-19. Both patients with mild AATD developed severe COVID-19. Yet, presence of AATD was not significantly associated with severe COVID-19 (p=0.24).Conclusion: Mild AATD (PI*MS or PI*MZ) was rare in a small cohort of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in a study setting with a high background prevalence of AATD.Keywords: alpha-1-antitrypsin, alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, PI-typing, SERPINA1

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