Mechanical ventilation

Intensive care medicine

Intensive care unit

Pediatrics

Internal medicine

Young adult

Family history

Medicine

Intensive care

JAMA

<h3>Importance</h3> Severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can occur in younger, predominantly male, patients without preexisting medical conditions. Some individuals may have primary immunodeficiencies that predispose to severe infections caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). <h3>Objective</h3> To explore the presence of genetic variants associated with primary immunodeficiencies among young patients with COVID-19. <h3>Design, Setting, and Participants</h3> Case series of pairs of brothers without medical history meeting the selection criteria of young (age &lt;35 years) brother pairs admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) due to severe COVID-19. Four men from 2 unrelated families were admitted to the ICUs of 4 hospitals in the Netherlands between March 23 and April 12, 2020. The final date of follow-up was May 16, 2020. Available family members were included for genetic variant segregation analysis and as controls for functional experiments. <h3>Exposure</h3> Severe COVID-19. <h3>Main Outcome and Measures</h3> Results of rapid clinical whole-exome sequencing, performed to identify a potential monogenic cause. Subsequently, basic genetic and immunological tests were performed in primary immune cells isolated from the patients and family members to characterize any immune defects. <h3>Results</h3> The 4 male patients had a mean age of 26 years (range, 21-32), with no history of major chronic disease. They were previously well before developing respiratory insufficiency due to severe COVID-19, requiring mechanical ventilation in the ICU. The mean duration of ventilatory support was 10 days (range, 9-11); the mean duration of ICU stay was 13 days (range, 10-16). One patient died. Rapid clinical whole-exome sequencing of the patients and segregation in available family members identified loss-of-function variants of the X-chromosomal<i>TLR7.</i>In members of family 1, a maternally inherited 4-nucleotide deletion was identified (c.2129_2132del; p.[Gln710Argfs*18]); the affected members of family 2 carried a missense variant (c.2383G&gt;T; p.[Val795Phe]). In primary peripheral blood mononuclear cells from the patients, downstream type I interferon (IFN) signaling was transcriptionally downregulated, as measured by significantly decreased mRNA expression of<i>IRF7</i>,<i>IFNB1</i>, and<i>ISG15</i>on stimulation with the TLR7 agonist imiquimod as compared with family members and controls. The production of IFN-γ, a type II IFN, was decreased in patients in response to stimulation with imiquimod. <h3>Conclusions and Relevance</h3> In this case series of 4 young male patients with severe COVID-19, rare putative loss-of-function variants of X-chromosomal<i>TLR7</i>were identified that were associated with impaired type I and II IFN responses. These preliminary findings provide insights into the pathogenesis of COVID-19.

Presence of Genetic Variants Among Young Men With Severe COVID-19