South Shore Hospital, Massachusetts, United States
Background/Case Studies: Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is responsible for the worldwide pandemic (COVID 19). Earlier studies have shown a relationship between ABO, RhD blood types and COVID 19 incidence. This study explores the relationship between ABO group, RhD blood type and SARS-CoV-2 infection among patients at five medical institutions in one US state.
Study
Design/Methods: The relative frequencies of COVID 19 infection among ABO/Rh blood type groups were compared in a convenience sample of patients from 5 hospitals located in different areas of a single US state. SARS-CoV-2 testing results, gender, age and ABO RhD blood type were collected on 12,511 participants. Information was assessed for univariate levels of association between blood groups and COVID 19 status using Chi Square with Fisher’s exact test and for multivariate association among the variables to COVID 19 status using logistic regression. This study was approved by the primary author’s institutional IRB.
Results/Findings: Of the patients sampled, 3,447 were COVID 19 Positive, 26%. Females accounted for 72% of patients but only 25% of the COVID 19 positive cases (p < 0.0001). ABO blood group B was associated with COVID 19 infection in only 13% of cases (p=0.03). RhD positivity was not associated with COVID 19 infection. On logistic regression, accounting for age, sex, ABO and Rh type, only male sex and age greater than 65 years were associated with COVID 19 infection. Conclusions: In this large, multicenter sample there was no association between COVID 19 infection rate and ABO or RhD blood type. The increased rate in men and the elderly reflects a bias caused by the large numbers of prenatal screening tests in the sample.
Importance of research: The relationship between ABO blood type and susceptibility to COVID19 disease has varied between studies. Establishing this relationship will help understand how ABO antigens or their corresponding antibodies interact with the virus. The nature of this interaction is still unclear. This study will add to the evidence as to whether there is a relationship between ABO blood type and COVID19 and what this may mean for patients in this population.
