HSP70 loci significantly increase the risk of hypertension in hospitalized patients with COVID-19

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) significantly aggravate the severity and mortality of COVID-19. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are known to be involved in the immune response and inflammation, key processes in the pathogenesis of both arterial hypertension (AH) and severe COVID-19. We aimed to investigate the association of polymorphic variants of the HSP70 family genes with the risk of AH in patients with severe COVID-19. Genotyping of 199 patients with severe COVID-19 (70 with AH and 129 without) was carried out by real-time PCR. Polymorphic variants of rs1043618 HSPA1A (risk allele C, OR = 2.0, 95% CI 1.24-3.22, p = 0,.03) and rs6457452 HSPA1B (risk allele T, OR = 2.99, 95% CI 1.32-6.78, p = 0.003) were associated with an increased risk of AH in patients with severe COVID-19. Analysis of ciseQTL effects found that rs1043618 HSPA1A and rs6457452 HSPA1B significantly affect the expression of histocompatibility complex genes, which can enhance inflammatory responses and contribute to an increase in blood pressure. Thus, polymorphic variants of the HSP70 family genes are associated with the risk of AH in patients with severe COVID-19.