COVID-19 infection.Several observational studies have reported the link between cardiovascular risk factors (such as obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol) and COVID-19 severity.
However, these studies could not ascertain the cause and effect relationship due to the observational design.The new study, published in the science journal Frontiers in Genetics, used a novel approach called 'Mendelian Randomisation', which leveraged on the individual genetic information, to investigate the effects of cardiovascular risk factors on the risk of COVID-19 infection.Lead author Dr Nay Aung from the Queen Mary University of London said: "Our results show that individuals with high body mass index (BMI), a marker of obesity, and.