Association Between Blood Groups and COVID-19 Outcome in Iranian Patients

Abstract

Aim: Many factors have been speculated to explain the COVID-19 complex clinical phenotype. Due to the inconsistent data published on blood groups and COVID-19, we conducted a study on Iranian patients to further assess this association. Materials & methods: This retrospective study was conducted on data collected from confirmed COVID-19 hospitalized patients during March and December 2020 in a referral hospital for COVID-19, 5 Azar Hospital, Gorgan, north of Iran. A total of 1554 confirmed COVID-19 cases were enrolled in the study with blood group (ABO and Rh), demographic, and clinical data available. Results: Of 1554 patients, 1267 and 287 cases had recovered and deceased (due to COVID-19) outcomes, respectively. Most of the cases had O+ (29.6%), the least number had AB- (0.5%), and most of the deceased cases had O+ blood types (31.4%). Logistic regression analysis revealed that groups A- and B- had higher and groups B+, AB+, O+ and O- had lower odds of death than the A+ group. Conclusion: This study indicates that blood types may be related to the clinical outcome of COVID-19. Further studies with a large cohort for multiple people are required to validate this association.

ABO rs657152 and Blood Groups Are as Predictor Factors of COVID-19 Mortality in the Iranian Population

“…In accordance with our data, investigations from Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Denmark, and Lebanon indicated that blood group A had the largest proportion of COVID-19-positive cases and mortality than the other blood groups, and that the O blood group had the lowest number of infected individuals [13][14][15][16][17]. In contrast, a number of studies carried out in a variety of nations found no connection between the ABO blood groups and the severity of COVID-19 or the mortality rate [18,19].…”

SARS-CoV-2 mechanisms of cell tropism in various organs considering host factors

“…Higher mRNA and protein levels of ACE2 are observed in individuals with fundamental heart failure, suggesting an increased likelihood of severe COVID-19 in patients with primary cardiovascular disease [ 148 ]. Diabetic patients, due to the involvement of the PPAR signaling pathway in SARS-CoV-2 intrusion through the ACE2 receptor, exhibit greater vulnerability to COVID-19 infection [ 16 , 149 ]. Moreover, pancreatic islets of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients show significantly elevated ACE2 expression compared to healthy subjects [ 150 ].…”

“…Polymorphisms in various receptors and co-receptors of SARS-CoV-2, influencing the virus's entry into diverse tissues among different individuals, may contribute to the observed clinical variability in the disease across subjects [ 15 ]. Unfortunately, the restricted understanding of the human molecular targets of SARS-CoV-2 hinders the development of host-dependent personalized therapies [ 16 ]. In this study, our objective is to bridge this knowledge gap by examining recent findings related to a crucial stage in viral infection, specifically the entry mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2.…”

ABO Blood Groups and Incidence of COVID-19 in the Mass Gathering Events in Borriana (Spain), March 2020: A Retrospective Cohort Study

“…However, others have estimated a higher SARS-CoV-2 risk in subjects with B or AB groups [ 12 ]. On the other hand, no associations were described among hospitalizations, severity, and death of COVID-19 cases and ABO [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ], but some exceptions have been reported [ 19 , 20 ].…”