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Updated: Jun 15, 2025

Determining the Likelihood of Variant Pathogenicity Using Amino Acid-level Signal-to-Noise Analysis of Genetic Variation
Published on: January 16, 2019
Do genetic variants of the Y chromosome affect mortality from COVID-19
Ole Bernt Lenning1, Ronny Myhre2, May Sissel Vadla3
1Research Department, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway.
Aims:
During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, significant differences in mortality patterns emerged based on sex and geographical regions. While we were studying on the heredity of variants of the Y chromosome, we observed that regional variations in mortality rates appeared to correlate with the geographical distribution of certain variants of the Y chromosome. This observation led us to propose that some genes on the Y chromosome, with an influence on immune responses, may represent a confounding factor in the observed geographical mortality differences.
Methods:
In this analysis, we investigate the potential associations between COVID-19 morbidity and disease-specific mortality and specific Y chromosome variants. The study is based on publicly available pandemic data validated by state authorities or presented in scientific literature documented in PubMed and Medline.
Results:
We find that Y chromosome haplogroups in different populations exhibit wave-like patterns corresponding with persistent global disparities in COVID-19-related mortality.
Conclusions:
These findings warrant further research to uncover possible new pathophysiological mechanisms.
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