Fatimah Fahad Alghnnam

Ms. Fatimah Fahad Alghnnam


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

1Year (2026-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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28 May 2026 in Biomedicines
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
JAJawaher Abdullah Alsubait
Jawaher Abdullah Alsubait
DADalal Sulaiman Alshaya
Dalal Sulaiman Alshaya
FAFatimah Fahad Alghnnam
Fatimah Fahad Alghnnam
MAMashael J. Abu-Alola
Mashael J. Abu-Alola
Marie Futol BoholMarie Futol Bohol
Marie Futol Bohol
AAAhmed Al-Qahtani
Ahmed Al-Qahtani
Background/Objectives: Genetic variation in human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes may contribute to inter-individual differences in infectious-disease susceptibility and clinical outcomes. This study aimed to determine the genotype frequency of HLA Class I and Class II loci in patients with COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia and to examine their associations with survival and clinical severity. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSH&RC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from January 2022 to December 2023. Genomic DNA was extracted, and polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific oligonucleotide (PCR-SSO) testing was performed to screen HLA genetic variation. Patients were grouped by survival status (recovered or deceased) and clinical severity: Stage A (asymptomatic), Stage B (mild), Stage C (moderate), and Stage D (severe). Results: In total, 123 patients with COVID-19 were included; 102 (82.9%) recovered and 21 (17.1%) died. ICU admission was more frequent among deceased patients than among recovered patients (95.2% versus 51.0%, p = 0.0001). At the locus level, HLA-DPB1 represented the largest proportion of HLA calls (21%). In call-position-specific allele-group analyses, B*15 in Allele 1 (14.3% versus 1.0%, p = 0.016), C*06 in Allele 2 (42.9% versus 18.6%, p = 0.023), DRB1*10 in Allele 1 (19.0% versus 4.9%, p = 0.045), and DQB1*05 in Allele 1 (33.3% versus 11.8%, p = 0.021) were significantly more frequent among deceased patients, whereas DQB1*03 in Allele 1 was significantly more frequent among recovered patients (45.1% versus 14.3%, p = 0.013). Severity analyses showed call-position-specific differences involving C*15, C*06, B*14, B*39, B*53, and DQB1*03. Vaccination status did not differ significantly by survival status or across the four clinical severity stages. Conclusions: Selected HLA Class I and Class II allele groups may be associated with COVID-19 survival and clinical severity patterns in this Saudi cohort. These findings should be interpreted cautiously given the cohort size and call-position-specific nature of the analyses.