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Research reveals gene role in both dementia and severe Covid-19

Having two copies of e4 variant of ApoE gene linked to double risk of severe Covid-19, study suggestsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage
The study is the latest to suggest genetics may play a role in why some people are more vulnerable to the coronavirus than others. Photograph: Anton Vaganov/Reuters

People with a genetic mutation that increases the risk of dementia also have a greater chance of having severe Covid-19, researchers have revealed.

The study is the latest to suggest genetics may play a role in why some people are more vulnerable to the coronavirus than others, and could help explain why people with dementia have been hard hit: dementia is one of the most common among those who have died from Covid-19 in England and Wales.

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