Relationship of SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic with Blood Groups

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.

EVALUATION OF HUMAN ABO BLOOD GROUPS AND BLOOD COMPONENTS AMONG IRAQI PATIENTS INFECTED WITH CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019 (COVID-19)

OBJECTIVE

The aim: To evaluate the differences in blood groups, gender and type of Rh factor, as well as the levels of hemoglobin, white blood cells and platelets among patients infected with COVID-19.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was performed on 202 patients diagnosed with sever COVID-19 infection who were admitted to the Al-Shefaa center in Al- Hakeem hospital in Al-Najef city.Haematological investigations involved the types of blood groups, Rh factors, haemoglobin (Hb), white blood cells (WBCs), and platelets. In addition, the demographic features including age, gender and presence of any prescribed medications before or at the time of the study were also included.

RESULTS

Results: This study indicated that COVID-19 infected patients with type A blood group are at higher risk of hospitalization than other blood groups, and the majority of these patients were Rh positive. Additionally, WBCs counts indicated that the majority of patients had increased risk of getting infections which demonstrated lower WBC counts than normal. Platelet and Hb levels were normal for the majority of patients.

CONCLUSION

Conclusions: The findings of this study may help in the diagnosis of the pandemic infection with COVID-19, and prediction of the incidence of some complications caused by COVID-19. Further researches are warranted to confirm our findings.

Comparison of Clinical Presentation and Vaccine Effectiveness Among Omicron and Non-omicron SARS Coronavirus-2 Patients

Introduction The rapidly mutating Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant has replaced the previous dominant SARS-CoV-2 variants like alpha, and delta resulting in the amplification of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases. The present study was conducted to compare the clinical profile and vaccination status in patients infected with Omicron and non-Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variants. Methods All patients who tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during the study period (January 2022 to February 2022) were further tested for detection of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant by using Omisure kit (TATA MD CHECK RT-PCR, TATA MEDICAL AND DIAGNOSTICS LIMITED, Tamil Nadu, INDIA). Clinico-demographic factors and vaccination status were compared between both Omicron and non-Omicron groups. Results A total of 1,722 patients who tested positive for COVID-19 were included in the study, of which 656 (38.1%) were Omicron and 1,066 (61.9%) were non-Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variants. Blood group and vaccination status were the major predictors for Omicron. The proportion of male patients was 58.4% in the Omicron group and 57.9% in the non-Omicron group. Maximum cases (86.2%) belonged to >18-60 years age group, 7.3% to >60 years age group, and least to 0-18 years (6.5%). The average age of the study participants was 35.4 ± 14.5 years. Vaccinated participants had less chance of having Omicron than the unvaccinated participants (p-value - 0.003). Fever and loss of smell were found to be significantly associated with the non-Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant. (p-value < 0.05). Conclusion The present study reflects that the clinical course of the disease is milder in Omicron as compared to the non-Omicron variant. However rapid rise in cases can badly affect the healthcare system demanding good preparedness to tackle all the predicaments. Good Vaccination coverage should be of utmost priority irrespective of the variant type.

ABO Blood Group in Relation to COVID-19 Susceptibility and Clinical Outcomes: A Retrospective Observational Study in the United Arab Emirates

(1) Background: The association between ABO blood groups and COVID-19 outcomes was investigated in several studies. The results were controversial. This study aimed to explore the association between ABO blood groups and COVID-19 outcomes. (2) Methods: This retrospective study included 303 COVID-19 patients treated at the NMC Royal Hospital in the United Arab Emirates between 8 April 2020 and 30 June 2020. (3) Results: The mean age of patients included in the study was 39.3 ± 10.7 years, and 72.9% of patients were males. The prevalence of blood groups O, A, B, and AB was 40.3%, 27.7%, 25.1%, and 6.9%, respectively. The correlation between ABO blood groups and COVID-19 outcomes was insignificant except in the AB group, with significantly higher odds of disease severity. Increased age, higher body mass index (BMI), and being of male gender increased the risk for pneumonia among all blood groups. Both increased age and higher BMI increased the risk of mortality, and increased age increased the risk of disease severity. Troponin and platelet counts were significantly different in the A group compared to the non-A groups. Time to viral clearance was not different among blood groups. However, adjustment for Rh groups resulted in a significantly shorter time in the B group. (4) Conclusions: There was no significant association between ABO blood groups and COVID-19 outcomes, with the exception of group AB.

A Pilot Study on COVID-19 Positive Subjects: An Excerpt of Post-Infection-Pro-Diabetic Disposition & Related Consequences in Correlation to Hepato-Pancreatic Bio-Markers, Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines and Other Risk Factors

COVID-19, a global pandemic that led to increased morbidity and mortality worldwide since its outcome at the end of the year 2019. A newly discovered variant of severe acute respiratory distress syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) was the arbitrator for spreading the syndrome by droplet transmission causing multi-organ failure in many occasions. A post-infection-pro-diabetic disposition was found evident in this study with the persistence of hepato-pancreatic aberrations in respect of reference range of tissue specific bio-markers in hospital admitted COVID-19 cases. The results of this study show that hyperglycemia is a risk factor in precipitating disease oriented complications to the patients with COVID-19 disease. A post-infection follow- up on glycemic-index and related complexities is a vital need to the COVID-19 infected convalescent subjects. Implementation of guidelines on social measure and awareness of anti-viral interventions may be the only way to prevent COVID-19 transmission.

Emphasizing the link between blood types in multi-ethnic disparities and COVID-19 infection in Makkah, Saudi Arabia

OBJECTIVES

To analyze the impact and distribution of blood groups in different ethnicities and the extent of susceptibility to infection with COVID-19 in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

METHODS

A retrospective study was performed on 4,609 COVID-19 patients from five ethnic groups to assess the impact and distribution of different blood types and susceptibility to COVID-19 infection. The study was carried out between November 2020 and June 2021 in the College of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University in collaboration with the General Directorate of Health Affairs, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

RESULTS

Blood group (A, B, and O) distributions in 2,617 COVID-19 patients with local control populations was done. Our study found that in both Saudi and non-Saudi populations, blood groups O and A were associated with higher infection rates, whereas blood group AB was associated with lower infection rates (p=0.0001). COVID-19 seems to be associated with blood groups A, B, and AB (RR=3.23, 95% CI=2.702-3.821, p=0.0001). COVID-19 risk was lower in people with O blood group (RR=0.783, 95% CI=0.733-0.836, p=0.0001). South Asians had higher odds of COVID-19 infection when compared to Saudi cases and other ethnic groups (OR=1.12, 95 % CI: 1.074-1.24, p=0.04).

CONCLUSION

We emphasize that COVID-19 infection is not proportional among ethnically related blood groups. Notably, RhD-negative protect against COVID-19, whereas A and O blood types are more susceptible. Thus, when assessing COVID-19 prognosis and vaccination priority, blood groups A and O are critical.

ABO blood groups and risk of human immunodeficiency virus infection: A systematic review and meta-analysis

The last few decades have seen a pandemic of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), which continues to cause substantial morbidity and mortality. ABO blood groups are anthropological and genetic characteristics of a population whose associations with HIV infection are still controversial. This systematic review with meta-analysis was undertaken to investigate whether certain blood groups may have associations with HIV infection. PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases were systematically searched as of 6 September 2021. Grey literature was identified through screening Google Scholar, and reference lists of relevant studies. All observational studies providing data on ABO blood group distribution among HIV-infected and uninfected participants were included. Using a random effect model, risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled to quantify this relationship. Fifty eligible studies with a total of 3,068,244 participants and 6508 HIV-infected cases were included. The overall analysis found that blood group AB increased the risk of HIV infection by 19% as compared with non-AB blood groups (RR = 1.19, 95% CI: 1.03-1.39, p = 0.02). Pooled estimates for other blood groups failed to reach statistical significance. Subgroup analyses identified a positive relationship between AB blood group and HIV infection within Asia, patient populations (as opposed to blood donors and general populations), studies with lower sample sizes, high-income countries and studies with a moderate quality score. The sequential omission and re-analysis of studies within sensitivity analyses produced no change in the overall pooled effect. In conclusion, this study identified that blood group AB carriers were more susceptible to HIV infection. Future investigations should be directed toward clarification of the exact role of ABO blood groups in HIV infection and the possible underlying mechanisms.