Association of ABO blood group with susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection in Rupandehi district of Nepal

Abstract

Objectives:Recent studies after the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 have shown an association of the ABO blood group to the susceptibility of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. Anti-A and anti-B antibodies, carbohydrate clustering, interleukin-6 levels and host transmembrane protease serine subtype 2 were suggested to cause the variable susceptibility of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection to the ABO blood groups. This study aims to find the association of the ABO blood group with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection susceptibility in Nepal.Methods:Population-based matched case–control study was conducted from October 2021 to February 2022 in Rupandehi district of Nepal. A total of 1091 reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 cases and 2182 controls were included in the study by convenient sampling method.Results:A statistically significant association of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection was observed for the blood group AB between cases and controls (11.5% vs 8.5%; odds ratio = 1.4, 95% confidence interval = 1.10–1.78). However, there was no association of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection for blood group A (26.7% vs 28.23%; odds ratio = 0.93, 95% confidence interval = 0.79–1.09), B (26.9% vs 29.84%; odds ratio = 0.86, 95% confidence interval = 0.73–1.02) and O (34.9% vs 33.41%; odds ratio = 1.07, 95% confidence interval = 0.92–1.25).Conclusion:This study reported slightly more susceptibility to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection among individuals with blood group AB.

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

“…Such susceptibility was also seen in Nepalian population from the district of Rupandehi, where the COVID-19 infection was significantly linked to “AB” blood group. 43 In a different investigation carried out in India by Singh and colleagues, carriers of the blood group AB had the highest quantity of SARS-CoV-2-neutralizing antibodies. These findings show that people with blood type AB are more susceptible than those with other blood types.…”

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

“…Correct measurement of SARS-CoV-2 risk exposures in cases and controls plays an essential role in avoiding of selection bias when we try to study a possible association between ABO and COVID-19 incidence. However, risk exposures are usually unmeasured [ 26 , 27 , 28 ]. In the few studies in which the characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 risk exposures were described, when estimating COVID-19 incidence rates, those were mass-gathering events (MGEs) [ 21 ], aircraft carrier crew [ 10 ], or household contacts [ 29 ]; in each, a protective association with O-group was not found.…”