Distribution of ABO/Rh blood groups and their association with hepatitis B virus infection in 3.8 million Chinese adults: A population-based cross-sectional study

Association between ABO blood groups and hematological myeloid neoplasms in adolescents and adults

Background

Prior research suggests a potential link between ABO blood types and susceptibility to various malignancies. The correlation between ABO blood types and hematological myeloid neoplasms, however, remains inadequately explored.

Objective

This study investigates the association between ABO blood groups and the incidence of hematological myeloid neoplasms in adolescents and adults.

Methods

In this retrospective clinical study, 1,022 adolescent and adult cases of myeloid neoplasms diagnosed at our institution were initially considered. After excluding conditions potentially linked to ABO blood types from prior studies, 792 eligible cases were analyzed. These cases were categorized based on disease subtypes and compared with a control group for blood type distribution.

Results

Our findings reveal a significantly higher prevalence of blood type A in patients with myeloid neoplasms compared to the control group, except for chronic myelocytic leukemia and myeloproliferative neoplasms. Conversely, the prevalence of blood type AB in myeloid neoplasms was notably lower than in the control group.

Conclusion

The study suggests a potential association between ABO blood types and the risk of developing hematological myeloid neoplasms in adolescents and adults. Further research is warranted to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of this relationship.

Lack of association of ABO and RhD blood groups with COVID-19 mortality: A 2-center cross-sectional study in Saudi Arabia

Several diseases, including both noninfectious diseases and bacterial and viral diseases, are associated with the ABO and RH blood group systems. Previous studies have shown a link between blood type and the probability of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. In this study, we aimed to explore the correlation between deaths caused by COVID-19 and ABO and RhD blood types in Saudi Arabia. In this cross-sectional observational study, data from COVID-19 patients were collected from 2 major hospitals treating COVID-19 in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia, between March 2020 and November 2021. The association between ABO and RhD blood types and COVID-19 outcomes was investigated. A total of 2302 real-time polymerase chain reaction-confirmed COVID-19 patients were enrolled in this study; a chi-square test was used to determine the statistical significance of the data. Of the 2302 enrolled patients, 1008 (43.8%) had blood type O, 677 (29.41%) had blood type A, 502 (21.8%) had blood type B, and 115 (5%) had blood type AB. Of the patients, 2143 (93.1%) were RhD-positive. The O-positive blood type had the highest mortality rate among COVID-19-infected patients, whereas the AB-negative type had the lowest. However, statistical analysis revealed no significant correlation between blood type (ABO or RhD) and COVID-19-based susceptibility or mortality. In conclusion, we found no association between ABO and RhD blood types and either susceptibility to or mortality due to COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia.

Relationship between blood group (ABO) and risk of COVID-19 infection in a patient cohort in Tehran, Iran

Background and purpose. Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a contagious disease causing severe acute respiratory syndrome which had a catastrophic effect on the world population and resulted in more than 2.9 million deaths worldwide. Epidemiological investigations have recently announced blood type has an association with the incidence of COVID-19 infection. Consequently, research in this regard can be effective in determining a person's susceptibility to a viral infection. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between blood types and the risk of COVID-19 in patients admitted to Khorshid laboratory, Tehran, Iran. Materials and methods. From January to March 2020, 50 nasal and throat swapb samples of patients' secretions were obtained from patients who were admitted to Khorshid laboratory. They were confirmed to have COVID-19 virus RNA and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-ABI, and their blood type was determined simultaneously. After collecting data to determine the relationship between COVID-19 infection and blood type, a confidence interval of 90 % was considered using SPSS 16. Results. The mean age of the patients was measured at 38.4±6.3 years. According to PCR results, 100 % of the subjects with COVID-19 showed blood type A. In addition, the ratio of blood type A to the percentage of reference type O was higher (P=0.009). Conclusion. There was a significant relationship between ABO blood type and susceptibility to COVID-19. As the current study suggests, those with blood type A are at a higher COVID-19 infection risk than those with blood type O.

Epidemiology of an overlapping and parallel infection of Sexually Transmitted Infections among pregnant women in North-east Ethiopia: Its implication for prevention of mother to child transmission

BACKGROUND

The burden of parallel and overlapping infections of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), particularly HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are disproportionately higher among pregnant women globally, leading to unwanted consequences. These infections pose significant public health challenges as they can be transmitted vertically to the offspring. This study aimed to determine the sero-epidemiological patterns and predictors of STIs (HIV, syphilis, HBV, and HCV) among pregnant women attending antenatal care clinics at ten health facilities in North-eastern Ethiopia.

METHODS

An institution-based multi-center cross-sectional study was conducted from May to November 2022 among 422 pregnant women selected using simple random sampling technique. Semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic characteristics and predictor variables of STIs through face-to-face interviews. Venous blood was collected and it was tested for anti-HIV, HBsAg, anti-HCV, and anti-Treponemal antibodies using immunochromatographic test kits. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to identify associated factors of STIs. Variables with an adjusted odds ratio (AOR) and a p-value <0.05 were considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

The overall prevalence of STIs was 23.9% (95% CI = 20.08-28.25). The prevalence of parallel infections of HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and syphilis were 6.4%, 9%, 1.7%, and 6.9%, respectively. The overlapping infections for HIV-HBV was 4% but HIV-HCV overlapping infection wasn't found. Increased age, tattooing, multiple sexual partners, exposure to unsafe sex, and RH status were independent factors of HBV. Likewise, increased age, rural residence, illiteracy, and tattooing were independently associated with HCV. Moreover, rural residence and a history of tattooing were independent predictors for the acquisition of HIV, whereas multiple sexual partners and RH status were found to be significant predictors of syphilis infection among pregnant women.

CONCLUSION

The magnitude of overlapping and parallel STD infections is still continued to be a problem among pregnant women. Moreover, there were overlapping infections of HBV-HIV. Therefore, continuous screening of pregnant women for HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B, and C infections should be performed, and special attention should be given to pregnant women who have co-infections.

Associations Between ABO Blood Groups and Diseases in the Digestive System and Vein

Purpose

The ABO blood type system is crucial for human blood transfusions. However, the relationships between ABO blood groups and diseases in the digestive system and vein have not been elucidated. We investigated the relationships between ABO blood groups and diseases in the digestive system and vein in this study.

Patients and Methods

A retrospective study on a Chinese population, including 1432 Crohn's disease (CD), 416 ulcerative colitis (UC), 1140 stomach cancer (SC), 841 colorectal cancer (CRC), 384 pancreatic cancer (PC), 520 liver cancer (LC), and 563 venous thrombosis (VT) patients, was performed. Furthermore, 896 healthy subjects were enrolled as normal controls (NC) in this study. The demographic characteristics of patients and NC were compared using the unpaired t-test and χ2 test. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to evaluate the association between ABO blood groups and CD and VT.

Results

ABO blood groups distributions in UC, SC, CRC, PC, and LC patients did not differ from that of NC, but CD and VT patients had significant difference of ABO blood group distribution from that of NC (p = 0.015 and p = 0.002, respectively). Patients with CD and VT had considerably lower rates of type O blood (p = 0.011 and p = 0.001, respectively) and significantly higher rates of type AB blood (p = 0.013 and p = 0.022, respectively) than those with NC. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed the association of CD and VT with non-O blood types was still significant with a higher risk than with blood group O after adjusting for age and gender (OR = 1.355, 95% CI = 1.100-1.670, p = 0.004 and OR = 1.465, 95% CI = 1.131-1.903, p = 0.004, respectively).

Conclusion

ABO blood groups distributions in CD and VT patients significantly differed from that of NC. Non-O blood group could be a new predictor for CD and VT.

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

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have reported that the susceptibility to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is related to ABO blood group, but the relationship with Rh phenotype and MN blood group is unknown. China had adopted a strict control policy on COVID-19 until December 5, 2022, when local communities were liberalized. Therefore, we aimed to explore the correlation between ABO blood group, Rh phenotype, MN blood group and susceptibility to COVID-19 based on the time sequence of infection during the pandemic.

METHODS

A total of 870 patients who were routinely hospitalized in Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital from March 1, 2023 to March 31, 2023 were randomly selected to enroll in this study. Patients were divided into susceptible group and non-susceptible group, according to the time of their previous infection. The demographics and clinical information of the enrolled participants were collected from electronic medical records. The association of ABO blood group, Rh phenotype and MN blood group with susceptibility to COVID-19 was analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 650 cases (74.7%) had been infected with COVID-19, with 157 cases (18.0%) in the second week and 252 cases (29.0%) in the third week, reaching the peak of infection. Compared with the non-susceptible group, the susceptible group had no statistically significant differences in ABO blood group and Rh phenotype, but the proportion of N+ was higher (75.6% vs 68.9%, P = 0.030) and the proportion of MM was lower (24.4% vs 31.1%, P = 0.030). Consistent with this, ABO blood group and Rh phenotype were not significantly associated with susceptibility to COVID-19 (P>0.05), while N+ and MM were associated with susceptibility to COVID-19 (OR: 1.432, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.049, 1.954, P = 0.024; OR: 0.698, 95% CI: 0.512, 0.953, P = 0.024, respectively), after adjusting for age, sex, BMI, basic disease, and vaccination status in multivariate logistic regression analysis.

CONCLUSION

Our study showed that ABO blood group and Rh phenotype may not be related to the susceptibility to COVID-19, but MN blood group may be associated with the susceptibility to COVID-19.

Blood Type and Outcomes in Pregnant Women with Placenta Previa

Background

Placenta previa increases the risks of obstetrical complications. Many studies have reported a link between various ABO blood types and pregnancy complications. This study is aimed at describing and comparing the characteristics and outcomes of women with placenta previa by ABO blood type.

Methods

Data for this study was obtained from a retrospective cohort study between January 1, 2014, and June 30, 2019, of all clinically confirmed placenta previa in a university-based tertiary medical center. Both types of A, B, O, AB, and combining O and non-O blood types were compared to the characteristics and outcomes.

Results

1678 participants with placenta previa were included in this study. The highest participants were blood type O with 666 (39.7%), followed by type A with 508 (30.3%) and type B with 395 (23.5%), and the lowest participants were AB with 109 (6.5%). Blood type AB had a higher incidence of antepartum hemorrhage (p = 0.017), predelivery anemia (p = 0.036), and preterm birth (p = 0.015) in placenta previa women. Meanwhile, the incidence of rhesus D positive (97.9% vs. 95.8%, p = 0.012) and twins (5.0% vs. 2.7%, p = 0.011) was higher in the non-O group, and the incidence of neonatal asphyxia (5.9% vs. 9.2%, p = 0.016) was lower in the non-O group.

Conclusion

Type AB blood may be a potential risk factor for women with placenta previa. This finding may help provide any obstetrician to predict the risk of complication for placenta previa women by the ABO blood types.

Host Genetic Risk Factors Associated with COVID-19 Susceptibility and Severity in Vietnamese

Since the emergence and rapid transmission of SARS-CoV-2, numerous scientific reports have searched for the association of host genetic variants with COVID-19, but the data are mostly acquired from Europe. In the current work, we explored the link between host genes (SARS-CoV-2 entry and immune system related to COVID-19 sensitivity/severity) and ABO blood types with COVID-19 from whole-exome data of 200 COVID-19 patients and 100 controls in Vietnam. The O blood type was found to be a protective factor that weakens the worst outcomes of infected individuals. For SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility, rs2229207 (TC genotype, allele C) and rs17860118 (allele T) of IFNAR2 increased the risk of infection, but rs139940581 (CT genotype, allele T) of SLC6A20 reduced virus sensitivity. For COVID-19 progress, the frequencies of rs4622692 (TG genotype) and rs1048610 (TC genotype) of ADAM17 were significantly higher in the moderate group than in the severe/fatal group. The variant rs12329760 (AA genotype) of TMPRSS2 was significantly associated with asymptomatic/mild symptoms. Additionally, rs2304255 (CT genotype, allele T) of TYK2 and rs2277735 (AG genotype) of DPP9 were associated with severe/fatal outcomes. Studies on different populations will give better insights into the pathogenesis, which is ethnic-dependent, and thus decipher the genetic factor's contribution to mechanisms that predispose people to being more vulnerable to COVID-19.

Association of ABO and Rhesus Blood Types with Transfusion-Transmitted Infections (TTIs) Among Apparently Healthy Blood Donors at Bahir Dar Blood Bank, Bahir Dar, North West, Ethiopia: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study

Background

Besides their clinical significance in blood transfusion medicine, ABO and Rh blood group antigens were found to be associated with many non-infectious and infectious diseases. This investigation aimed to assess the association of ABO and Rh blood group antigens with transfusion transmissible infections (TTIs).

Methods and Materials

A cross-sectional retrospective investigation was conducted on 27,027 blood donors at Bahir Dar blood bank, from March 24/2019 to October 21/2021. The blood sample was collected from each blood donor and tested for TTI markers (HBV, HCV, HIV, and syphilis), with ELISA, and ABO and Rh blood grouping was performed. Descriptive analysis was done for sociodemographic data, and a chi-square test was used to show the association between the ABO and Rh blood groups with TTI markers, and a P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

From 27,027 study participants, 18,911 (70%) were males, with a mean age of 25.2 years, and 49.4% of the blood donors were students. The overall TTI prevalence was 5.43%, of which 2.8% was HBV, 1.5% was syphilis, 0.8% was HIV, and 0.3% was HCV. Blood group O (41.4%) was the most common blood group followed by, A (29.6%), B (23.6%), and AB (5.4%). Ninety-one point seven percent of the blood donors were Rh (D) positive. All TTI markers (HBV: p = 0.62, HIV: p = 0.77, HCV: p = 0.52, and syphilis: p = 0. 0.94) showed no significant association with ABO blood group. Rh blood type also showed no association with all TTI markers.

Conclusion

The prevalence of TTI markers was not significantly associated with ABO and Rh blood groups.

Alterations in clinical characteristics of blood donors post COVID-19 recovery

BACKGROUND

Corona Virus Disease-19 (COVID-19), a current worldwide pandemic is a cuase of concern. Risk-adjusted differences in outcomes of the patients are not well characterized. Susceptibility to infection with respect to blood group, blood pressure, pulse rate, hemoglobin, age and BMI were analyzed.

METHODS

Blood donors, of all the ages and gender, who recovered from COVID-19 infection, were selected for the study Samples from Regional laboratory and the Central blood bank of Hafr al Batin, Saudi Arabia were collected. Out of 1508 healthy blood donor 134 had recovered from corona without any preexisting diseases.

RESULTS

Major donors were male (85.1%). 28% donors in age range of 26-35 years. O+(32.8%) were the highest donors. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure and pulse rate elevated significantly of age group 46-55 (p<0.05) and 56-65 (p<0.001). Systolic blood pressure in males (134.13 ± 9.57) was significantly higher (p<0.05) than those of females (129.35 ± 10.61). Donors with Rh+ significantly higher systolic (p<0.05) and pulse rate (p<0.05) as compared to Rh-.

DISCUSSION

O+ donors were highly susceptible. Blood pressure, pulse rate and Hb alter with age. Males exhibit higher variation in systolic blood pressure, with Rh+ factor playing a predominant role. Donors above 45-years of age and a high BMI have significantly elevated blood pressure and pulse. These results are challenging or contradictory from the results of Turkish and Chinese studies where blood group A+ was more predominantly affected by the SARS-CoV-2 with minimum infection rate on females and Rh- donors.

CONCLUSION

Factors like blood group V-2 treatment especially with the age group of 45 years and above.

Asian Pacific association for the study of liver (APASL) guidelines: hepatitis B virus in pregnancy

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection still remains a major public health issue in the Asia-Pacific region. Most of the burden of HBV-related disease results from infections acquired in infancy through perinatal or early childhood exposure to HBV in Asia-Pacific. Hepatitis B during pregnancy presents unique management issues for both the mother and fetus. These APASL guidelines provide a comprehensive review and recommendations based on available evidence in the literature, for the management of females with HBV infection through every stage of pregnancy and postpartum. These also address the concerns, management challenges, and required follow-up of children born to hepatitis B-positive mothers.

Susceptibility of ABO blood group to COVID-19 infections: clinico-hematological, radiological, and complications analysis

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, research indicates that the COVID-19 disease susceptibility varies among individuals depending on their ABO blood groups. Researchers globally commenced investigating potential methods to stratify cases according to prognosis depending on several clinical parameters. Since there is evidence of a link between ABO blood groups and disease susceptibility, it could be argued that there is a link between blood groups and disease manifestation and progression. The current study investigates whether clinical manifestation, laboratory, and imaging findings vary among ABO blood groups of hospitalized confirmed COVID-19 patients.This retrospective cohort study was conducted between March 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021 in King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre Riyadh and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Demographic information, clinical information, laboratory findings, and imaging investigations were extracted from the data warehouse for all confirmed COVID-19 patients.A total of 285 admitted patients were included in the study. Of these, 81 (28.4%) were blood group A, 43 (15.1%) were blood group B, 11 (3.9%) were blood group AB, and 150 (52.6%) were blood group O. This was almost consistent with the distribution of blood groups among the Saudi Arabia community. The majority of the study participants (79.6% [n = 227]) were asymptomatic. The upper respiratory tract infection (P = .014) and shortness of breath showed statistically significant differences between the ABO blood group (P = .009). Moreover, the incidence of the symptoms was highly observed in blood group O followed by A then B except for pharyngeal exudate observed in blood group A. The one-way ANOVA test indicated that among the studied hematological parameters, glucose (P = .004), absolute lymphocyte count (P = .001), and IgA (P = .036) showed statistically significant differences between the means of the ABO blood group. The differences in both X-ray and computed tomography scan findings were statistically nonsignificant among the ABO age group. Only 86 (30.3%) patients were admitted to an intensive care unit, and the majority of them were blood groups O 28.7% (n = 43) and A 37.0% (n = 30). However, the differences in complications' outcomes were statistically nonsignificant among the ABO age group.ABO blood groups among hospitalized COVID-19 patients are not associated with clinical, hematological, radiological, and complications abnormality.

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

Background

ABO 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.

Methods

This 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.

Results

In 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.

Conclusion

A, 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.

Risk of HBV infection among male and female first-time blood donors born before and after the July 1986 HBV vaccination program in Taiwan

Background

In July 1984, Taiwan officially began a nationwide hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination program where only infants born to HBsAg-positive mothers were vaccinated free of charge until June 1986. However, from July 1986, all infants were vaccinated against HBV. The impact of the July 1986 HBV vaccination program on first-time blood donors has not been exhaustively studied. We, therefore, determined the risk of HBV among male and female first-time blood donors born before and after the July 1986 HBV vaccination program in Taiwan.

Methods

Initially, we recruited 857,310 first-time blood donors whose data were collected between 2013 and 2018 from 5 blood donation centers in Taiwan. However, we excluded donors with incomplete and outlying data (n = 12,213) and those born between July 1984 and June 1986 (n = 21,054). The final study participants comprised 9118 HBV positive and 814,925 HBV negative individuals. We divided the participants into two birth cohorts (born before and after July 1986) and assumed that those born before July 1986 were not vaccinated at birth while those born after July 1986 were vaccinated.

Results

The prevalence of HBV among those born before and after July 1986 was 4.53 and 0.25%, respectively. Individuals born after July 1986 had a lower risk of HBV than those born before July 1986. The adjusted odds ratio (OR), 95% confidence interval (CI) was 0.16, 0.13–0.19. Men had a higher risk of HBV than women (OR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.34–1.47). The interaction between sex and birth date was significant (p-value = 0.0067). Stratification of participants by birth date revealed a higher risk of HBV in men compared to women in both birth cohorts. The OR, 95% CI was 1.47, 1.40–1.55 for those born before July 1986 but declined to 1.15, 1.02–1.29 for those born after July 1986.

Conclusions

The risk of HBV was lower among those born after than those born before the July 1986 vaccination program. In both cohorts, the risk was high in men relative to women. The seemingly protective effect among those born after July 1986 was higher in women than men.

Analyses of ABO blood groups with susceptibility and symptomatic variations of COVID-19 infection, a questionnaire-based survey

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a novel respiratory disease that has led to a global pandemic and created a havoc. The COVID-19 disease severity varies among individuals, depending on fluctuating symptoms. Many infectious diseases such as hepatitis B and dengue hemorrhagic fever have been associated with ABO blood groups. The aim of this study was to explore whether ABO blood groups might serve as a risk or a protective factor for COVID-19 infection. Moreover, the symptomatic variations of COVID-19 infection among the individuals with different blood groups were also analyzed. An online questionnaire-based survey was conducted in which 305 partakers were included, who had successfully recovered from coronavirus infection. The ABO blood groups of 1294 healthy individuals were also taken as a control. The results of the current study demonstrated that antibody A containing blood groups (blood group B, p-value: 0.049 and blood group O, p-value: 0.289) had a protective role against COVID-19 infection. The comparison of symptomatic variations among COVID-19-infected subjects showed that blood group O subjects had lower chances of experiencing severe symptoms relating to respiratory distress, while subjects with AB blood group were more prone to develop symptoms, but the differences in both groups were found to be statistically non-significant. In conclusion, subjects who do not have anti-A antibodies in their serum (i.e., subjects with group A and AB) are more likely to be infected with COVID-19. The current data showed that there was no significant association of signs and symptoms variations of COVID-19 infection among individuals with different blood groups.

COVID-19 and blood groups: A six-months observational study in Ferrara, Italy

The current literature still gives a little information about the relationships between the ABO blood group system and the immune response to the virus or the different disease outcomes. Hypothesizing the presence of a predisposition by some blood groups to COVID-19, we searched for differences between patients towards the different outcomes of disease.We enrolled 330 inpatients with a diagnosis of COVID-19, determining both their ABO blood group system and Rh factor, collecting demographic, clinical and laboratory data. We searched for relationships with COVID-19 outcomes within an observation period of 180 days (Intensification of Care - IoC, Inhospital death, 180-days mortality). The most frequent ABO blood group was A (45.8%); a minor part was represented by group O (38.8%), B (11.5%), AB (3.9%). As for the Rh factor, 86.7% of patients were Rh-positive. There were no significant differences between blood groups and Rh factors as for age, length of hospital stays (LoS), or Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), nor we found significant relationships between the ABO groups and COVID-19 outcomes. A significant relation was found between AB group and IoC (p=0.03) while as for the Rh factor, the patients with Rh factor positive died with less frequency during the stay (p=0.03). Cox regression analyses showed substantial differences in the survival functions concerning the Rh factors. The Rh factor seems to be involved in the 180-day prognosis. The survival functions of patients with Rh factor positive show, in fact, significantly better curves when compared to those with Rh factor negative.

Potential association of COVID-19 and ABO blood group: An Indian study

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmits from person to person mainly through respiratory droplets and coughing. Infection severity ranges from asymptomatic and mild infection to those with moderate and severe symptoms which may lead to multiple organ failure and mortality. Infection severity largely depends on individual's immune response, age and co-morbidities. Present study categorized COVID-19 infected patients based on their infection severity and linked COVID-19 severity with age, gender and ABO blood group types. Clinical details of 383 COVID-19 patients were collected from Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty hospital (RGSSH), India; divided into three groups; mild, moderate and severe patients, based on their symptoms. Present analysis revealed that age plays major role in infection severity, as the symptoms are more severe in patients above 45 years. Infection rate was higher in males compared to females. Most patients with A(+ve) and B(+ve) blood group were severely affected compared to those of blood group type O(+ve) and AB(+ve). O(+ve) blood group was least represented in severe patients. Present findings could be helpful in generating awareness amongst the population regarding susceptibility towards the COVID-19 infection. This supportive information would help clinicians and health workers to propose new strategies and tactical solution against COVID-19 infection.

Effects of message framing on recruiting Rh-D-negative blood donors in an emergency situation: Two randomized trials

OBJECTIVES

Prospect theory categorizes message framing according to whether it emphasizes a possible loss or a possible gain. Promotions of blood donation worldwide mainly focus on gain-framed appeal. The objective of the current study is to examine the effects of message framing on recruiting Rh-D-negative blood donors (RDNBDs) in an emergency situation.

DESIGN

Two randomized trials.

METHODS

In Study 1, 813 group O and 500 group B RDNBDs were randomly assigned to three groups receiving three different recruitment text messages: (1) gain-framed, (2) loss-framed, and (3) information messages. In addition, 613 group A and 148 group AB RDNBDs were marked as (4) no message group. In Study 2, 758 RDNBDs were randomly provided one of two versions of materials focusing on either the possible survival (gain-framed) or the death (loss-framed) of a Rh-D-negative patient needed a blood transfusion. These participants then completed a questionnaire to examine the possible mechanisms underlying the observed effects.

RESULTS

Compared to not receiving any message, significantly more RDNBDs re-donated within 14 days after they received a loss-framed message. Study 2 found that RDNBDs who read the loss-framed material expressed more willingness to donate immediately than those who read the gain-framed material. RDNBDs with high-risk perception expressed a greater blood donation intention in the loss-framed group. The loss-framed message made participants perceive others' needs more strongly, which generated more empathy, and thus increased blood donation intention.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggested that recruiting RDNBDs using a loss-framed message is suitable under an emergency.

An Unknown Risk Factor for Sepsis in Very Low Birth Weight Preterms: ABO Blood Groups (BGaPS Study)

OBJECTIVE

There is insufficient study of the association of blood groups with neonatal diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the blood groups associated with sepsis and blood groups in preterm infants.

STUDY DESIGN

This retrospective study was conducted between January 1, 2010 and November 31, 2018 in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). This study was done in single-center tertiary NICU. Infants born at gestational age (GA) <32 weeks with birth weight (BW) <1,500 g were included in the study.

RESULTS

A total of 2,548 infants were included. The culture-proven sepsis ratio (30.2%) was the lowest in the O blood group and the highest in the AB blood group (37.5%) (p = 0.045). Meningitis ratio (6.5%) was significantly higher, and hospital stay (64.1 ± 33.9 days) was significantly longer in B blood group (respectively, p = 0.005, p < 0.001). In the AB blood group, GA (27.68 ± 1.12 weeks) was the lowest and early onset sepsis (EOS) (40.1%) and mortality (28.9%) ratio were found to be statistically higher (p < 0.001 for all groups). The AB group was significantly related to higher frequency of EOS (odds ratio [OR] = 2.93, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.68-5.12, p = 0.000), in addition to mortality (OR = 1.1, 95% CI = 0.55-2.19, p = 0.001). The O group was found to be associated with lower risk of late onset sepsis (LOS) (OR = 1.67, 95% CI = 1.06-3.058, p = 0.003) according to the model with corrected risk factor including GA, BW, and time of hospitalization.

CONCLUSION

Our study was the first study showing a relationship between certain blood groups and EOS/LOS in premature infants as well as meningitis.

Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B Infection Among a Population of Blood Donors in the Kpandai District of Northern Ghana: A Five-Year Retrospective Study from 2014 to 2018

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is an infectious disease that is specific to the liver, causing both acute and chronic hepatitis. This study determined the trend of HBV infection among blood donors in the Kpandai District Hospital from January 2014 to December 2018. Retrospective analysis of donor profiles for a period of 5 years was used to assess the distribution of seropositive cases in relation to age, sex, and trend. The data was collected using pre-designed questionnaire and managed using Microsoft Excel spread sheet 2013. The overall sero-prevalence of HBV was 8.2% (230/2802). The year to year analysis depicted significant trends in reduction of HBV infection among the study population at a rate of 13 percentage points above the mean from 2014 to 2015, and 4.3 percentage points below the mean from 2016 to 2018 across the period. The prevalence in males was 8.4% (225/2687) and that of the females was 4.4% (5/115) and the highest rate of infection was among those below 30 years 9.8% (163/1666). Although the general prevalence of HBV infection was high (8.2%), there was a significant trend reduction in rate of infection across the study period. This suggests that the public health interventional strategies put in place to manage the HBV infection in Kpandai District seem to be working.

ABO blood group and COVID-19: an updated systematic literature review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Following the first reports in the literature, the association between the ABO blood group and SARS-CoV-2 infection has been investigated by a number of studies, although with varying results. The main object of this systematic review was to assess the relationship between the ABO blood group and the occurrence and severity of COVID-19.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A systematic literature search using appropriate MeSH terms was performed through Medline and PubMed. The outcomes considered were the prevalence of the blood group O vs non-O types in SARS-CoV-2 infected and non-infected subjects, and the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection according to ABO group. The methodological quality of the studies included in the analysis was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, and the overall quality of the available evidence using the GRADE system. Benchmarks used to evaluate the effect size were odd ratios (ORs) for case control studies and risk ratios (RRs) for cohort studies.

RESULTS

Twenty-one studies were included in the analysis. Overall, individuals with group O had a lower infection rate compared to individuals of non-O group (OR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.75, 0.86). However, the difference in the effect size was significantly lower in cohort studies compared to case control studies. No evidence was found indicating an effect of the O type on the disease severity in the infected patients.

DISCUSSION

We have found low/very low evidence that group O individuals are less susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to those in the non-O group. No evidence was found indicating an effect of the O type on disease severity in SARS-CoV-2 infection.

ABO blood groups and liver cancer: prospective results from an HBsAg cohort study

OBJECTIVE

The association between ABO blood group and risk of liver cancer is unclear, although few studies have reported positive results. This study examined the relationship between ABO blood group and liver cancer in hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive individuals.

DESIGN

A high-risk population-based cohort study.

SETTING

The study was started in 2007 and closed in 2019; the number of observed person-years as obtained by ABO blood group.

PARTICIPANTS

The study included 3663 individuals with positive HBsAg, including men aged 30-70 and women aged 40-70.

OUTCOME MEASURES

The frequencies of ABO group in the cohort population and patients with liver cancer were calculated, respectively. χ² test was used to compare differences, and the relative risk (95% CI) for development of liver cancer was evaluated.

RESULTS

The frequency distribution of blood types A, B, O and AB was 1118 (30.52%), 1073 (29.29%), 1104 (30.14%) and 368 (10.05%), respectively, among 3663 cohort individuals. In the cohort, patients with liver cancer (n=336) were of the following frequencies: type A: 104 (30.95%); type B: 97 (28.87%); type O: 95 (28.27%); and type AB: 40 (11.90%). No significant difference was found between patients with liver cancer and other individuals. The annual incidence rate of liver cancer was 906.34 per 100 000 person-years, and for blood type A, B, O and AB the rates were 917.76, 893.78, 846.02 and 1093.43 per 100 000 person-years, respectively. The relative risk (95% CI) was 0.97 (0.74 to 1.29), 0.92 (0.70 to 1.22) and 1.19 (0.82 to 1.72) for blood types B, O and AB, respectively, compared with blood type A.

CONCLUSION

There were no significant differences in the frequency distribution of ABO blood groups in patients with liver cancer within this high-risk cohort, which demonstrates lack of positive association between ABO blood group and risk of liver cancer.

Association of Blood Subgroups With PCR Test Positivity and Lung Involvement in Patients With COVID-19

Objective The goal of this study was to investigate whether blood group type caused susceptibility to COVID-19 infection. Methods Two hundred and eleven consecutive patients admitted with various symptoms associated with COVID-19 were included. We compared the AB0 and Rh subgroup distributions between patients with a positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result and the patients without. We compared the AB0 and Rh subgroup distributions between patients with lung involvement and patients without. Additionally, comparisons were performed between the patients both with positive PCR result and lung involvement, and the patients with a negative PCR result. Results No significant difference of ABO and Rh subgroup distributions was evident between patients with and without a positive PCR test result (p=0.632 and p=0.962). No significant difference of ABO and Rh subgroup distributions was evident between the patients with and without lung involvement (p=0.097 and p=0.797). No significant difference of ABO and Rh subgroup distributions was evident among patients both with PCR positivity and lung involvement, patients with only PCR positivity, and the patients with negative PCR test results (p=0.3 and p=0.993). Conclusion All blood group types seem to have an equal risk of COVID-19 infection. Everyone should follow the precautions to avoid the COVID-19 infection.

A two-stage stochastic model for daily reserve in inventory management of Rh-negative red blood cells

Rh-negative rare blood inventory protection plays an important role in emergency blood protection. Normally, hospitals typically hold a fixed amount of daily reserve in response to emergency needs, but the measure can increase the unnecessary cost of repeated freezing and thawing. In order to save manpower, protect blood resources and reduce costs, a two-stage stochastic model is proposed to determine the optimal daily reserve of Rh-negative red blood cells, taking into account the uncertainty of demand. First, the model focuses on minimizing operational cost, shortage cost and damage caused by blood substitution. Then, the proposed model generates a series of discrete scenarios to solve the uncertainty of demand and predict the demand. In addition, a case study is presented to prove the validity of the proposed model with real data. Sensitivity analysis is also established to observe the effect of parameter changes on the results. Finally, the results show that the proposed model can effectively reduce the cost and current waste.

Relationship between ABO blood group distribution and clinical characteristics in patients with COVID-19

OBJECTIVE

To explore ABO blood group distribution and clinical characteristics in patients with COVID-19.

METHODS

The clinical data of 187 patients with COVID-19 seen between January 20, 2020 and March 5, 2020 at the First Hospital of Changsha were retrospectively analyzed. The differences in the ABO blood group distribution between COVID-19 patients and the control group (1991 cases) were analyzed. The relationship between blood type and clinical characteristics was analyzed.

RESULTS

Of the 187 patients with COVID-19, 69 had type A (36.90%), 63 had type B (33.69%), 41 had type O (21.92%), and 14 had type AB blood (7.49%). The proportion of patients with type A blood in the COVID-19 group was significantly higher than that in the control group (36.90% vs. 27.47%, P = 0.006), while the proportion of patients with type O blood in the COVID-19 group was significantly lower than that in the control group (21.92% vs. 30.19%, P = 0.018). The risk of COVID-19 was higher for individuals with blood group A than for those with blood group O (OR = 1.849, 95% CI = 1.228-2.768, P = 0.003). The risk of COVID-19 was higher for patients with blood group A than for those with a blood group other than A (OR = 1.544, 95% CI = 1.122-2.104, P = 0.006). Patients with blood group O had a lower risk of COVID-19 than non-O blood group patients (OR = 0.649, 95% CI = 0.457-0.927, P = 0.018). The ABO blood group distribution was related to COVID-19 status.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with blood group A had an increased risk for infection with SARS-CoV-2, whereas blood group O was associated with a decreased risk, indicating that certain ABO blood groups were correlated with SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility. Blood type was related to some clinical characteristics of patients with COVID-19.

ABO blood group system is associated with COVID-19 mortality: An epidemiological investigation in the Indian population

BACKGROUND

Novel coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) has spread worldwide, and to date presence of the virus has been recorded in 215 countries contributing 0.43 million of death. The role of blood groups in susceptibility/resistance to various infectious diseases has been reported. However, the association of blood groups with susceptibility to COVID-19 infections or related death are limited. In the present report, we performed an epidemiological investigation in the Indian population to decipher the importance of blood groups concerning susceptibility or mortality in COVID-19 infection.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Data on COVID-19 infection and mortality was obtained from the website of the Government of India. Prevalence of ABO blood groups in different states and union territories of India were searched using different databases such as PubMed and Google Scholar. Relevant articles were downloaded, and data were extracted. Spearman's rank coefficient analysis was employed to study the correlation between blood group frequencies and COVID-19 infection or mortality rate.

RESULTS

A significant inverse correlation was observed between the frequency of O blood group and the COVID-19 mortality rate (Spearman r=-0.36, P=0.03), indicating a possible protective role of O blood group against COVID-19 related death. In contrast, the prevalence of blood group B was positively correlated with COVID-19 death/million (Spearman r=0.67, P<0.0001), suggesting B blood type as a deleterious factor in COVID-19 infection.

CONCLUSIONS

ABO blood group system is associated with poor prognosis of COVID-19 infection. Blood group O may protects, and subjects with blood type B could be susceptible to COVID-19 mortality. However, further studies on COVID-19 infected patients in different population are required to validate our findings.

The effect of abo and rh blood group antigens on admission to intensive care unit and mortality in patients with COVID-19 infection

AIM

The aim of this study is to analyze the prognostic significance of ABO and Rh blood group antigens along with various parameters in patients followed-up with the diagnosis of COVID-19.

METHODS

We evaluated 397 patients who were follow-up and treated due to COVID-19 infections. The ages, genders, chronic diseases, ABO and Rh blood group antigens, admission rates to Intensive Care Units (ICU), and mortality rates of the patients were analyzed.

FINDINGS

The mean age of the 397 patients with COVID-19 was 47±17 years. In the blood group analysis of the patients, A Rh-positive (A +) was the most frequently seen blood type (176 patients, 44.3%) followed by O Rh-positive (0 +) (109 patients, 27,5%); 38 patients were Rh negative (Rh -) (9,6%). 53 of the patients (13,4%) were followed in ICU and 29 patients died (7,3%). Neither mortality nor admission to ICU was seen for Rh - group. The comparison of Rh groups concerning the need for ICU admission revealed a significantly high rate of ICU admission in the Rh + group (p=0,011), while no significant relationship was found between mortality and Rh antigen (p=0,069).

CONCLUSION

The most frequently seen blood type among COVID-19 patients was A +. The Rh + blood group was found in all cases who were admitted to ICU and had a death outcome. The Rh + blood group was found in a significantly high number of patients who were admitted to ICU, while no significant relationship was found between mortality and Rh blood group.

High Viral Hepatitis Infection among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Clinic in Adeoyo Maternity Teaching Hospital Ibadan (AMTHI) Oyo State, Nigeria

Hepatitis B virus (HBV), Hepatitis C virus (HCV), and Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) are highly endemic in several African countries including Nigeria with adverse effects on pregnancy outcomes resulting in fatality. This study aimed to determine the viral hepatitis in pregnant women attending antenatal clinic, AMTHI. Informed consent questionnaire was administered before blood collection via venipuncture. a total of 904 pregnant women plasma samples were tested for HBV, HCV, and HEV using ELISA kit. Data was analyzed using packages within SPSS software and P ≤ 0.05 was considered significant. Out of 904 samples analyzed, the overall prevalence of hepatitis infections among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in AMTHI was 66(7.3%). High prevalence of the hepatitis infections was found among young women within the age group 21-30 which might be associated with active sex, intravenous drug use, sharing of sharp objects and alcoholism. Blood group O Positive had the highest prevalence of hepatitis. There was statistical significance between blood group and HBsAg infection (P < .05). Genotype AA women had highest prevalence of hepatitis. This study showed significant association between HBsAg, HCV, and HEV positive status with blood group O positive and Genotype AA pregnant women.

Association Between ABO Blood Group System and COVID-19 Susceptibility in Wuhan

Background: The ABO blood group system has been associated with multiple infectious diseases, including hepatitis B, dengue haemorrhagic fever and so on. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a new respiratory infectious disease and the relationship between COVID-19 and ABO blood group system needs to be explored urgently.

Methods: A hospital-based case-control study was conducted at Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University from 1 January 2020 to 5 March 2020. A total of 105 COVID-19 cases and 103 controls were included. The blood group frequency was tested with the chi-square statistic, and odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated between cases and controls. In addition, according to gender, the studied population was divided into two subgroups, and we assessed the association between cases and controls by gender. Finally, considering lymphopenia as a feature of COVID-19, the relationship between the ABO blood group and the lymphocyte count was determined in case samples.

Results: The frequencies of blood types A, B, AB, and O were 42.8, 26.7, 8.57, and 21.9%, respectively, in the case group. Association analysis between the ABO blood group and COVID-19 indicated that there was a statistically significant difference for blood type A (P = 0.04, OR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.02–1.73) but not for blood types B, AB or O (P = 0.48, OR = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.66–1.23; P = 0.61, OR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.53–1.46; and P = 0.23, OR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.58–1.15, respectively). An analysis stratified by gender revealed that the association was highly significant between blood type A in the female subgroup (P = 0.02, OR = 1.56, 95% CI = 1.08–2.27) but not in the male subgroup (P = 0.51, OR = 1.14, 95% CI = 0.78–1.67). The average level of lymphocyte count was the lowest with blood type A in patients, however, compared with other blood types, there was still no significant statistical difference.

Conclusions: Our findings provide epidemiological evidence that females with blood type A are susceptible to COVID-19. However, these research results need to be validated in future studies.

ABO blood groups and hepatitis B virus infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major public health problem worldwide. Several studies have reported that ABO blood groups may be associated with HBV infection. However, its association is still controversial. We performed a meta-analysis to investigate whether ABO blood groups were associated with HBV infection.

DESIGN

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

DATA SOURCES

Relevant studies available before 1 December 2019 were identified by searching PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, ScienceDirect and the Cochrane Library.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

All cross-sectional or cohort studies from which the data of ABO blood group distribution and HBV infection could be extracted.

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS

Studies were identified and extracted by two reviewers independently. Risk ratios (RRs) and 95% CIs were pooled by random-effect models to quantify this association.

RESULTS

Thirty-eight eligible articles including 241 868 HBV-infected subjects and 6 487 481 uninfected subjects were included. Overall, the risk of HBV infection had decreased by 8% in subjects with blood group B when compared with non-B blood group (RR=0.92, 95% CI 0.86 to 0.98). In the subgroup analyses, the inverse relationship between blood group B and HBV infection remained stable in higher endemic areas (HBV prevalence ≥5%), Asian people, larger sample size studies (≥2000), general population and blood donors, lower middle income group and studies published before the year 2010. Additionally, subjects with blood group O had a 12% increased risk of HBV infection (RR=1.12, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.24) in higher endemic areas. In the sensitivity analysis, the pooled risk estimates of blood group B and HBV infection were still stable.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data suggested that the blood group B was associated with a lower risk of HBV infection. More research is needed to clarify the precise role of the ABO blood group in HBV infection to address the global question of HBV infection.

ABO blood group and risk of newly diagnosed nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: A case-control study in Han Chinese population

Background

ABO blood group has been associated with cardiovascular disease and cancer. However, whether ABO blood group is associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remains unknown. The present study aimed to clarify this issue.

Methods

A hospital-based case-control study was performed in southwestern China. A total of 583 newly ultrasound-diagnosed NAFLD cases and 2068 controls were included. The adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of developing NAFLD were calculated by multivariate logistic regression. A propensity score was developed for adjustment and matching.

Results

The proportions of blood groups A, B, AB and O were 31%, 26%, 8% and 35%, respectively. Non-O blood groups were found to be significantly associated with an increased risk of NAFLD (the fully adjusted OR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.19, 1.91); moreover, compared with blood group O, the fully adjusted ORs of developing NAFLD were 1.50 (95% CI: 1.13, 1.99) for blood group A, 1.59 (95% CI: 1.19, 2.14) for blood group B, and 1.37 (95% CI: 0.86, 2.18) for blood group AB. Similar results were obtained in both propensity-score-adjusted and propensity-score-matched analyses. No evidence of significant effect modification for the association of ABO blood group with the risk of NAFLD was found (all P_interaction>0.05).

Conclusions

Non-O blood groups are significantly associated with an increased risk of NAFLD. Our findings provide some epidemiological evidence for a possible role of ABO glycosyltransferase in the pathogenesis of NAFLD. However, these findings need to be validated by future studies.

FUT3 and FUT2 genotyping and glycoconjugate profile Lewisb as a protective factor to Toxoplasma gondii infection

The interaction between the ABO, FUT2 and FUT3 genes results in the synthesis of different glycoconjugates profiles expressed in gastrointestinal tract. Moreover, the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, which causes toxoplasmosis, utilizes this organ as an infection route. We analyzed the frequencies of the different glycoconjugate profiles which were determined by phenotyping ABO and genotyping the status secretor (FUT2; substitution G428A) and Lewis (FUT3; substitution T202C and C314T) histo-blood systems, assessed by PCR-RFLP and PCR-SSP, respectively. A total of 244 pregnant women (G1: Seropositive; G2: Seronegative) for IgG T. gondii antibodies were enrolled. IgG anti-T. gondii antibodies were determined by ELISA. G1 was composed of 158 (64.8%) sample and G2 by 86 (36.2%). The glycoconjugate profile was accessed in 151 seropositive and 85 seronegative samples by the combination of ABO and Lewis phenotyping as well as FUT2 and FUT3 genotyping. In G1, 36 (22.8%) presented the glycoconjugate profile ALeb, 5 (3.3%) A, 13 (8.6) BLeb, 1 (0.6%) B, 41 (27.1%) Leb, 13(8.6%) H, 38(25.2%) Lea and 4 (2.6%) Lec. G2 was composed of 13 (15.3%) of ALeb, 15 (17.6%) BLeb, 1 (1.2%) B, 42 (49,4%) Leb and 14 (16.5) Lea. H and Lec glycoconjugate profiles were not found in G2. The frequencies of the glycoconjugates profiles Leb (p = 0.001) and H (p = 0.005) were significantly different compared between G1 and G2. The glycoconjugate profile H inferred from the ABO phenotyping and FUT3 and FUT2 genotyping is associated with infection by T. gondii in pregnant women and the Leb profile appears to protect the infection by this parasite.