Blood type may contribute to the possibility of acquiring COVID-19

As the data from two genetic studies indicate, the blood type of a patient contributes to the likelihood of developing COVID-19.

An infectious disease expert unrelated to the study told Healio Primary Care that the results are possible but there are some important caveats.

In the first study, New England Medical Journal, David Elling House Scientists at the German Institute for Clinical Molecular Biology and colleagues have analyzed almost 16.10 to 8.6 million single nucleotide polymorphisms in Spanish. Italian patients with COVID-19 And respiratory failure. Another 2,205 uninfected participants served as controls. Participants’ age, ethnicity, and gender were also part of the analysis.

David Elling House

They found that participants with blood group A were at greater risk of acquiring COVID-19 with respiratory failure than other blood groups (OR = 1.45; 95% CI, 1.2-1.75, P = 1.48 × 10^-Four). Researchers also observed protective effects in blood group O and other blood groups (OR = 0.65; 95% CI, 0.53-0.79, P = 1.06 x 10^-Five).

Ellinghaus called the findings “notable”, but said the impact of other COVID-19 risk factors was much greater.

“A previous study by researchers at Grossman School of Medicine in New York showed the highest risk of hospitalization Individuals over 75 years old The estimated odds ratio was 66.8,” said Healio Primary Care. “This same study showed that comorbidity was a strong predictor of hospitalization and hospitalization. Meanwhile, markers of oxygen injury and inflammation were associated with the most serious illnesses.”

“It’s currently difficult to make good recommendations about exactly what can be done,” Ellinghaus said in clinical practice for blood group findings.

In the second study, Adam Auton, PhD, Leading scientists at 23andMe and colleagues analyzed the genetic data of more than 800,000 of its customers.

“Participation is entirely voluntary, and customers can withdraw consent at any time,” he said in an interview.

Adam Orton

Auton et al. Virus vs. all other blood groups (OR = 0.86; P <.0001). Patients of that blood type were also less likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19 (OR = 0.81; P = .05). According to the researchers, patient age, BMI, comorbidities, ethnicity, and gender adjustments did not affect the findings.

car Told Bloomberg News The results must be carefully interpreted until additional research is completed.

Ancestry is also doing genetic analysis of 600,000 happy customers. Catherine ball, PhD, The ancestor’s chief scientific officer refused to share the findings until researchers could analyze them, but even if the results showed that blood groups play a role in the risk of acquiring COVID-19. , One big puzzle that can be solved.

Catherine ball

“The answer to the cause of COVID-19 is probably much more complicated than the patient’s blood group,” Ball told Healio Primary Care. “The answer probably involves the complex interaction of hundreds, and possibly thousands, of different parts of the genome.”

Gregory A. Poland, MD, The director of the Mayo Clinic vaccine research group agreed.

“There are multiple factors associated with the severity of coronavirus infection and disease,” he told Healio Primary Care. “For example, the risk factor for hypertension is 2. Ellinghaus’s paper shows that blood group risk factors are lower. Together, blood group can tell you how serious your illness is. And it may be one of many factors that determine whether COVID-19 will survive.”

Gregory A. Poland

Poland, which was not involved in the investigation, said the Ellinghouse cohort was small.

He also reported some P NEJM value In the 23andMe.com survey, there was almost no statistically significant difference, P Value 10^–8 The above is preferable. “The findings have some biological relevance, but they need to be confirmed in studies that can more accurately explain a variety of statistical and clinical factors,” he said.

Poland also noted that the NEJM and 23andme.com study was a genetic association study that should not be construed as a causal finding. “More mechanical validation studies will be needed before claiming causality,” he said. “Nevertheless, the findings are valuable and add the credibility that blood type may be an important prognostic factor, among other factors.

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