SNPs of ACE1 (rs4343) and ACE2 (rs2285666) genes are linked to SARS-CoV-2 infection but not with the severity of disease.

COVID-19 and the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) are linked by angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a key enzyme in RAS that has been validated as a SARS-CoV-2 receptor. Functional ACE1/ACE2 gene polymorphisms may lead to the imbalance between ACE/ACE2 ratio and thus generating RAS imbalance that is associated with higher degrees of lung damage in ARDS that may contribute to the COVID-19 infection outcome. Herein, we investigated the role of RAS gene polymorphisms, ACE1 (A2350G) and ACE2 (G8790A) as risk predictors for susceptibility and severity of COVID-19 infection.