Association of blood group with COVID‐19 disease susceptibility and severity in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background Novel SARS‐CoV‐2 (COVID‐19) virus has rapidly spread worldwide and was declared a pandemic, making identifying and prioritizing individuals most at risk a critical challenge. The literature describes an association between blood groups and the susceptibility to various viral infections and their severity. Knowing if a specific blood group has more susceptibility to COVID‐19 may help improve understanding the pathogenesis and severity of the disease. We aimed to assess the association between ABO/RhD and COVID‐19 susceptibility and severity, and to compare results with similar studies in Saudi Arabia. Study Design and Methods This study was conducted between March and October 2021 on 600 patients confirmed positive for COVID‐19 infection. Patients' data were collected and analyzed. As a control, 8423 healthy blood donors were enrolled as a sample representative of the population for blood group distribution. Results More individuals had blood group B in the COVID‐19 group in comparison with the control group (24.2% vs. 18%), The opposite was observed among individuals of group O (39.5% vs. 47.3%). The B blood group was predictive of higher risk of mortality. No significant difference in the distribution of RhD was observed between the COVID‐19 and the control groups. Neither ABO nor RhD was significantly associated with the severity of COVID‐19. Discussion Although there was no significant association with the disease severity, the B blood group may be associated with a higher risk for COVID‐19 infection. Further studies with a larger sample size are necessary to evaluate this correlation.

The Relationship of ABO and Rh Blood Group Types With Severe COVID-19 Disease Mortality in ICU Patients: Insights From a Single-Center Experience in Southern Saudi Arabia

“…This aligns with our patient age group. Notably, our DM rate was higher than some regional studies in the eastern and western regions (20-30%) that didn't exclusively focus on ICU patients, but in line with another cohort study where almost half of COVID patients had DM [ 18 , 12 , 11 ]. This study unveiled a significant mortality rate among severely ill COVID-19 patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and requiring mechanical ventilation.…”

“…While studies in the Middle East (and Saudi Arabia in particular) have hinted at potential links between blood group antigens and COVID-19 severity [ 10 , 11 ], the specific association between blood group, Rh type, and mortality in ICU-admitted COVID-19 patients from the southern region remains underexplored. The primary objective of this study is to elucidate whether specific blood group antigens and Rh types are associated with differential mortality rates among critically ill COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU in the southern region of Saudi Arabia.…”

Association of ABO blood types and clinical variables with COVID-19 infection severity in Libya

“…19 In an interesting study done in Saudi Arabia by Hindawi and colleagues, it was found that those with blood group B had the highest risk of contracting the virus compared to people with blood groups A and AB. 46 In contrast to many other investigations, [47][48][49] these authors did not find a connection between the disease and Rh factors. To further substantiate their findings, the authors recommended a bigger sample size.…”

“…To further substantiate their findings, the authors recommended a bigger sample size. 46 Yet, research that revealed no correlation between the Rh factor and COVID-19 morbidity is not scarce. 50,51 Although anosmia (loss of smell) was among the symptoms reported earlier with the SARS-CoV epidemic attack in 2003, 52 its manifestation with SARS-CoV-2 was rather virulent.…”

Association of ABO blood group, Rh phenotype and MN blood group with susceptibility to COVID-19

“…Most studies so far have found that A blood group is more susceptible to COVID-19, while O blood group is less susceptible [15][16][17]. However, many other studies have not found such an association between ABO blood group and susceptibility to COVID-19 [18,19]. Therefore, further studies are warranted.…”