Correlation of ABO Blood Group Susceptibility to Disease Severity of SARS-COV-2: An Original Research

J Pharm Bioallied Sci. 2024 Feb;16(Suppl 1):S372-S375. doi: 10.4103/jpbs.jpbs_595_23. Epub 2024 Feb 29.

Abstract

COVID-19, the Ecumenical Pandemic that hit Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, in 2019 has instigated an emergency situation all over the globe. Current scientific corroborations highlighted the role of zoonotic cross-over species transmission for the spread of the deadly virus SARSCoV2. The proposition of ABO blood grouping to susceptibility for various infectious diseases has been documented in the past since blood group antigens constitute polymorphic traits that are inherited among humans, therefore are frequent targets in epidemiological studies.

Aim: To correlate the ABO blood group susceptibility to disease severity in COVID-19-positive cases among Indian populations.

Objectives: Association of ABO blood group patterns to disease severity in COVID-19-positive cases.

Materials and methods: A cross-sectional, observational study design was conducted among 700 confirmed COVID-19-positive cases admitted to the tertiary health care center in Maharashtra, India. The data collected were subjected to statistical analysis.

Results: Blood group 'A' positive was frequent (40%) in severe COVID-19 (E group) disease, and 'O' positive blood group was frequent in moderate COVID-19 disease (34.62%).

Conclusion: ABO Blood grouping can be used as one of the efficient biomarker for COVID-19, thereby providing a new platform for therapeutic applications in the field of research.

Keywords: 2019 novel coronavirus disease; ABO blood group; COVID-19; disease severity; spike glycoprotein; susceptibility.