Increased COVID-19 Mortality in geographies with higher prevalence of the Pi*SZ Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Genotype

As of the time of this paper, more than 800,000 people have been confirmed to be infected by the COVID-19 virus and over 40,000 people have died. In this paper we have identified a correlation between the geographic prevalence of the Pi*SZ genotype of the alpha 1 antitrypsin gene (A1AT) and COVID-19 mortality. This observation if confirmed and extended, would suggest that patients carrying the Pi*SZ A1AT genotype may be at increased mortality risk due to COVID-19 infection. Additionally, this observation may offer new therapeutic opportunities for COVID-19 induced respiratory distress through the development and use of elastase inhibitors or A1AT enhancers.