The Prevalence and Implications of Factor V rs6687813 Mutation among COVID-19 Patients on D-dimer Levels

Abstract

COVID-19 has invaded human community worldwide threatening public health and the world economy. The confounder data about the pathogenesis of the disease progression has aroused prognostic theories concerning the implications of demographic data and the genetic variability of the disease prognosis. A total of 120 participants; 68 males and 52 females, aged from 15 to 82 years, among them 90 COVID-19-infected patients, and 30 COVID-19-free participants were enrolled in the current study. Blood samples were drawn from 120 participants and then analyzed for D-dimer levels using fluorescence immunoassay. The 120 DNA extracted samples were amplified by PCR using Factor V-specific primers. The PCR products were sequenced and examined for putative mutations in the Factor V gene. A significantly high mutation rate in Factor V (rs6687813) 82%, p< 0.001 was demonstrated in the study population. The mutations were significantly correlated with extremely high D-dimer levels of 2975 ng/ml versus 986 ng/ml in the wild type (r=0.228, p<0.012). Hospitalized COVID-19 patients expressed significantly higher levels of D-dimer compared to non-hospitalized patients 3353 ng/ml vs 513 ng/ml p<0.001, respectively. The age had an odds rate of 1.12 on the acquisition of COVID-19 infection as the ages above 35 were more vulnerable to acquiring the infection than younger ages (r=0.21, p<0.022). In conclusion, the study provides robust evidence about the direct association between the FVL mutation and elevated levels of D-dimer in COVID-19 patients and the implementation of the FVL mutation test as a prognostic marker is recommended for COVID-19 patients.