Identifying diseases associated with Post-COVID syndrome through an integrated network biology approach

• Published in: Journal of biomolecular structure & dynamics Vol. 42; no. 2; pp. 652 - 671
• Main Authors: Krishna, Navami, K. P., Sijina, G. K., Rajanikant
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Taylor & Francis 22.01.2024
• Subjects: Biology; cancers; COVID-19; COVID-19 - complications; Fisher's exact test; Humans; MCODE; Neoplasms; Nervous System Diseases; neurological disorders; pathway analysis; Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome; post-COVID-19 syndrome; protein-protein interaction network; COVID-19; Fisher’s exact test; MCODE; neurological disorders; cancers; protein-protein interaction network; pathway analysis; post-COVID-19 syndrome
• ISSN: 0739-1102; 1538-0254
• DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2195003

A growing body of research shows that COVID-19 is now recognized as a multi-organ disease with a wide range of manifestations that can have long-lasting repercussions, referred to as post-COVID-19 syndrome. It is unknown why the vast majority of COVID-19 patients develop post-COVID-19 syndrome, or why patients with pre-existing disorders are more likely to experience severe COVID-19. This study used an integrated network biology approach to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between COVID-19 and other disorders. The approach involved building a PPI network with COVID-19 genes and identifying highly interconnected regions. The molecular information contained within these subnetworks, as well as the pathway annotations, were used to reveal the link between COVID-19 and other disorders. Using Fisher's exact test and disease-specific gene information, significant COVID-19-disease associations were discovered. The study discovered diseases that affect multiple organs and organ systems, thus proving the theory of multiple organ damage caused by COVID-19. Cancers, neurological disorders, hepatic diseases, cardiac disorders, pulmonary diseases, and hypertensive diseases are just a few of the conditions linked to COVID-19. Pathway enrichment analysis of shared proteins revealed the shared molecular mechanism of COVID-19 and these diseases. The findings of the study shed new light on the major COVID-19-associated disease conditions and how their molecular mechanisms interact with COVID-19. The novelty of studying disease associations in the context of COVID-19 provides new insights into the management of rapidly evolving long-COVID and post-COVID syndromes, which have significant global implications. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma