Association of genetic polymorphism in interleukin 17A and interleukin 33 genes with covid-19 severity in Salah Aldeen province in Iraq

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, has emerged as one of the most serious global health crises in recent history. As new variants of the virus continue to emerge, ongoing vigilance and research are essential to understanding their implications for transmission, disease severity, and vaccine efficacy. The aim of this study is to assess the roles played by IL-17A and IL-33 in the immuno-pathogenesis of COVID-19. The amount of infection severity for persons infected with COVID-19 in Salah Aldeen, Iraq, was determined by genetic polymorphisms of the IL-17A and the IL-33 genes. Blood samples were taken from COVID-19-infected patients at Tikrit hospitals and isolation units for patients with COVID-19 at Shifa Hospital and Mosul General Hospital between November 2021 and May 2022. This study was composed of 120 participants and was divided into three categories in terms of WHO and Iraqi National Guidelines on COVID-19: mild patients (N=40), moderate patients (N=40), and severe patients (N=40). The findings of this study revealed that in mild cases were 55.4% of participants older than 45 years, in moderate cases were 52.2% older than 45 years, and in severe cases 58.1% were older than 45 years. However, the difference in age between severe and mild cases was not statistically significant (p>0.05). The proportion of severe COVID-19 cases was found to be higher in males than females, with 29 cases (72.5%) in males and 11 cases (27.5%) in females. However, it's worth noting that the distribution of males and females in severe and mild cases did not exhibit a statistically significant variation (p>0.05). Also, 13 (32.5%) of the 40 mild individuals had hypertension, and 15 (37.5%) had T2DM. 19 (47.5%) of the 40 moderate patients had T2DM, while 17 (42.5%) had hypertension. In the 40 severe cases, 25 (62.5%) of them had T2DM, and 16 (40.0%) of them had hypertension. The severity of COVID-19 cases showed no statistically significant association with the variables of diabetes and hypertension (p>0.05). Our findings revealed that some of the current COVID-19 cases were affected by chronic diseases. The IL-17A SNP in every model of inheritance, there was no significant information. Our results from IL17A SNP showed in the over-dominant model, the odds ratio in GA genotype is relatively high. There was no substantial information in any of the inheritance models. However, as shown by our results from the IL-33 SNP in the over-dominant model, the odds ratio in the GA genotype is considerably high when comparing the group of moderate and severe cases. The urea concentration rose significantly in T2DM patients with COVID-19 compared to those without COVID-19 (p≤0.05). Additionally, creatinine levels also showed a significant increase in T2DM patients with COVID-19 compared to those without COVID-19 (p≤0.05). Compared to the control group, the glucose levels in the T2DM groups were substantially higher. Additionally, the HbA1C concentration rose significantly in total T2DM patients compared to the control (p≤0.05). Moreover, D-Dimer levels were substantially higher than control levels in T2DM patients with COVID-19 and without COVID-19 (p≤0.05). Comparing the ferritin concentration with full T2DM to the control, there was a substantial increase (p≤0.05).