Associations and Disease–Disease Interactions of COVID-19 with Congenital and Genetic Disorders: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Since December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic, which originated in Wuhan, China, has resulted in over six million deaths worldwide. Millions of people who survived this SARS-CoV-2 infection show a number of post-COVID complications. Although, the comorbid conditions and post-COVID complexities are to some extent well reviewed and known, the impact of COVID-19 on pre-existing congenital anomalies and genetic diseases are only documented in isolated case reports and case series, so far. In the present review, we analyzed the PubMed indexed literature published between December 2019 and January 2022 to understand this relationship from various points of view, such as susceptibility, severity and heritability. Based on our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive review on COVID-19 and its associations with various congenital anomalies and genetic diseases. According to reported studies, some congenital disorders present high-risk for developing severe COVID-19 since these disorders already include some comorbidities related to the structure and function of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, leading to severe pneumonia. Other congenital disorders rather cause psychological burdens to patients and are not considered high-risk for the development of severe COVID-19 infection.

Prevalence of COVID‐19 related hospitalizations and mortality in adults aged ≥40 years with haemophilia: A survey from Europe

“…9 The World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) concluded that there is no evidence to suggest that PWH, including those on prophylaxis with traditional replacement therapy or those with haemophilia A receiving emicizumab, are at increased risk for infection with COVID-19 or for more severe disease unless they have additional well-described comorbidities such as older age (> 65 years), pulmonary or cardiovascular disease, hypertension, obesity or diabetes mellitus. 10 Whether the low rates of serious COVID-19 infection are due to some inherent degree of protection in PWH due to their coagulation state is beyond the remit of this study. However, the close interaction between PWH, their HTCs and organisations such as the WFH, the European Haemophilia Consortium (EHC), the TA B L E 1 Comorbidities in people with haemophilia A and COVID-19 infection who had serious outcomes.…”

Can COVID-19 Vaccines Induce Premature Non-Communicable Diseases: Where Are We Heading to?

“…The effect of COVID-19 vaccination on reproductive health and lactation has received plenty of attention [ 25 , 26 , 27 ]. No permanent impact of COVID-19 vaccines on reproduction-related processes such as menstruation, and female and male fertility, except for temporary disturbances in the menstruation cycle and minor drops in sperm counts immediately after vaccinations, have been found in the literature.…”

“…The effects of COVID-19 vaccinations on reproduction-related functions such as menstruation and fertility have been of concern. Several surveys including a collection of data from the VAERS have indicated potential safety concerns related to menstrual disorders in COVID-19-vaccinated young adult females [ 25 ]. Furthermore, in a retrospective study including 408 women, SARS-CoV-2 infections and COVID-19 vaccinations were indicated to influence the menstruation cycle and cause alterations to it [ 256 ].…”

“…Other systemic adverse reactions such as fever, headache, widespread fatigue, chills, arthralgia, muscular pain, and nausea [ 24 ] are transient and not discussed in this review. Moreover, concerns have been raised related to the effect of vaccinations on infertility, reproductive health, and lactation [ 25 , 26 , 27 ].…”

A Review Pertaining to SARS-CoV-2 and Autoimmune Diseases: What Is the Connection?

“…Some genetic diseases and congenital anomalies are a risk factor for developing severe COVID-19 and the genetic abnormalities have also been linked to autoimmune disorders [73,74]. The studies in patients with SARS-CoV-2 have discovered some uncommon innate immunity errors in the interferon pathways and in the immune signalling circuits [74].…”