THL examines individual vulnerability to severe coronavirus infection

The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) has launched a national study with the aim of investigating how individual factors, including genetic determinants and lifestyles, affect the causation of severe coronavirus infections (COVID-19).

The study will establish how a coronavirus infection progresses in different people and what kind of symptoms it causes, said a THL press release on Wednesday.

“At a later stage, the findings of the study can be used to plan the treatment of the coronavirus disease and preventive measures. We expect the first findings to be available already during the current outbreak, especially if it is prolonged by the currently made preventive measures”, said Research Professor Markus Perola.

He said that before the vaccines which are being developed come into large-scale use, it is likely that COVID-19 outbreaks will crop up from time to time, and the most recent findings can then be applied to these cases

The subjects invited to participate in this nationwide study will mainly include patients hospitalized with a suspected or diagnosed coronavirus infection.

Persons with milder symptoms will also be invited to participate. The THL will conduct the study together with all university hospitals in Finland, several hospital districts and the healthcare service company Terveystalo. Sample collection has already started in some parts of the country.

The goal is to involve in the study more than 3,000 participants who have been hospitalised or, in case of milder disease forms, who have otherwise requested a coronavirus test.