Association of ABO and Rh Blood Group in Susceptibility, Severity, and Mortality of Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Hospital-Based Study From Delhi, India

Abstract

BackgroundABO and Rh blood group systems are associated with many diseases including cancerous, infectious, non-infectious, bacterial and viral diseases. Studies have shown association of blood groups A and O with higher and lower odds for coronavirus disease 2019 positivity, respectively.MethodsThis is a single-center, retrospective study conducted at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi. We investigated the association of ABO and Rh blood groups with susceptibility to coronavirus disease 2019 infection, severity of disease, recovery period, and mortality of patients. Patients were enrolled from April 8, 2020 to October 4, 2020. A total of 2,586 real-time PCR (RT-PCR)-confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients were recruited. Data was analyzed using chi-square test, odds ratio, and Mann–Whitney test to determine the association of blood groups.ResultsIn the 2,586 COVID-19-infected patients, the frequencies of A, B, O, and AB were 29.93%, 41.80%, 21.19%, and 7.98%, respectively. Of the patients, 98.07% were Rh positive. Blood group A (odds ratio, 1.53; CI, 1.40–1.66; p < 0.001) and B (odds ratio, 1.15; CI, 1.06–1.24; p < 0.001) is observed to be significantly associated with COVID-19 susceptibility, whereas blood group O (odds ratio, 0.65; CI, 0.59–0.71; p < 0.001) and AB (odds ratio, 0.66; CI, 0.59–0.71; p < 0.001) have low risk of COVID-19 infection.ConclusionA, B, and Rh+ are found to be more susceptible to COVID-19 infection, whereas blood groups O, AB, and Rh− are at a lower risk of COVID-19 infection. No association was found between blood groups and susceptibility to severity of disease and mortality.

Prevalence of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies and Potential Determinants among the Belgian Adult Population: Baseline Results of a Prospective Cohort Study

“…In line with the first evidence, results of this study show that people with blood types A, B, or AB are positively associated with the presence of antibodies. However, while some studies have shown an association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and the rhesus-positive blood type [ 32 , 33 , 34 ], these results are not confirmed in the present study. The strong association between a prior infection with SARS-CoV-2 and a higher presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies is in line with what can be expected and consistent with the literature [ 10 , 24 ].…”

“…Initial evidence, although often contradictory, shows that unvaccinated people with blood type A are at higher risk of being infected with SARS-CoV-2, while the risk is decreased in people with blood type O [ 31 , 32 , 33 ]. In line with the first evidence, results of this study show that people with blood types A, B, or AB are positively associated with the presence of antibodies.…”

Semantic and population analysis of the genetic targets related to COVID-19 and its association with genes and diseases

“…The same study linked COVID-19 risk and severity with the OAS1 gene, which is activated by interferon and participates in the cellular innate antiviral response (81). Although the exact mechanism underlying the effect of the ABO blood group on COVID-19 susceptibility and severity remains under investigation, a recent study reported association of blood groups A and B with increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection (82), while another study found B-allele frequencies to be correlated with COVID-19 mortality (83).…”

Antispike Immunoglobulin-G (IgG) Titer Response of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA-Vaccine (BNT162b2): A Monitoring Study on Healthcare Workers

“…In addition, very few data are reported in relation to the vaccination effectiveness. Rana et al reported on a single center study that the A, B, and Rh+ blood groups were susceptible to COVID-19 infection in comparison to blood groups O and Rh− [ 78 ]. Very similar findings were reported on different populations groups such as household and children [ 79 ].…”