Kelly Bolton, MD, PhD, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, discusses the link between clonal hematopoiesis and COVID-19. Clonal hematopoiesis induces inflammation, which has been associated with COVID-19 severity. Using genetic data, a moderate link was found between clonal hematopoiesis and COVID-19, and similar effect sizes were found when clonal hematopoiesis was defined by putative driver or copy-number event mutations. Clonal hematopoiesis was also linked to streptococcal and enterococcal infections, as well as sepsis. Dr Bolton reports that data from animal models and human HIV patients also suggest that the risk of clonal hematopoiesis may increase with inflammation. Overall, it remains unclear as to whether clonal hematopoiesis increases the risk of COVID-19 through inflammation, vice-versa, or whether clonal hematopoiesis is a biomarker for another factor that drives COVID-19 susceptibility. This interview took place during the ninth annual meeting of the Society of Hematologic Oncology (SOHO 2021) congress.
