GrimAge is elevated in older adults with mild COVID-19 an exploratory analysis

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Epigenetics
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• COVID-19's long-term effects, especially in older adults, remain a public health concern.
• Epigenetic aging is linked to health status and disease severity, but research often overlooks mild COVID-19 cases.
• Understanding mild COVID-19's impact on epigenetic clocks is crucial given its prevalence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between mild COVID-19 infection and various epigenetic ages in older Mexican adults.
• To explore the relationship between epigenetic age acceleration and clinical variables, including immunological estimators and DNA damage.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of epigenetic ages (HorvathAge, HannumAge, GrimAge, PhenoAge, SkinAge, DNAmTL) in a Mexican cohort of older adults post-mild COVID-19.
• Assessment of intrinsic epigenetic age acceleration (IEAA) and extrinsic epigenetic age acceleration (EEAA).
• Correlation analysis between epigenetic ages and clinical data, including immunological markers and DNA damage indicators.

Main Results:

• All measured epigenetic ages differed from chronological age; GrimAge was significantly elevated.
• Both IEAA and EEAA were accelerated in all participants with mild COVID-19.
• PhenoAge, SkinBloodHorvathAge, and HorvathAge showed associations with immunological estimators and DNA damage.

Conclusions:

• Mild COVID-19 significantly impacts epigenetic clocks in older adults, primarily increasing GrimAge, IEAA, and EEAA.
• The observed epigenetic changes are predominantly linked to inflammation and immunological alterations.
• These findings underscore the lasting biological effects of mild COVID-19 on aging processes.