Background Blood group has been stated to be one of the risk factors associated with viral diseases like dengue, hepatitis virus, Norwalk virus and even the coronavirus associated with 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak. In addition, anti-A antibodies in experimental models have been shown to inhibit the interaction between coronavirus and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) receptor of the host target cell, the major receptor involved in viral pathogenesis. Thus, several workers propose an association between ABO blood type and coronavirus disease- 2019 (COVID-19) disease in many previous studies. The present study was undertaken in the Eastern part of India in line with these authors to study the association of ABO blood group of patients with COVID susceptibility and severity. Methods This is a retrospective study over a period of 6 months from June 2020 to November 2020 where patients who underwent quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) test for SARS-COV2 and having a recorded patient blood group type were considered. The qRT-PCR positive admitted cases were considered as cases, and qRT-PCR negative cases were considered as controls. Data were entered in Microsoft Excel format and analyzed by statistical method to obtain association. Results Consecutively obtained 5000 qRT-PCR positive patients (cases) and 11,700 (controls) were included in the present study. The mean age of cases was higher (54.24 vs. 34. 67) than the controls. Among the cases, the highest number (2379; 47.6%) of samples belonged to A blood group followed by B (1278; 25.6%) while among the control group O blood group had the highest prevalence (4215; 36%). Blood group A had a higher odd of testing positive (Odds ratio-2.552; CI 2.381–2.734; p < 0.0001) than all other blood groups. A blood group is also associated with higher risk of ICU admission (Odds ratio- 1.699; 95% CI 1.515–1.905) and 65.3% of this group is also associated with high viral load which gives an indication of higher disease severity. Conclusion Blood group A is associated with an increased susceptibility to COVID 19 infection than other blood groups. Cases of this blood group are also associated with more critical care needs and a higher viral load on testing.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, SARS-CoV2, Real-time PCR, ABO blood type, 【초록키워드】 coronavirus disease, coronavirus, Pathogenesis, Critical care, antibody, susceptibility, severity, disease severity, qRT-PCR, India, Infection, risk factor, virus, COVID, COVID 19, Prevalence, Retrospective study, Hepatitis, Viral load, outbreak, Patient, ICU admission, age, viral disease, receptor, disease, Quantitative, Blood, Blood Group, experimental model, association, Interaction, ACE, ABO, Microsoft Excel, acute respiratory syndrome, control group, higher risk, 95% CI, Previous studies, enzyme, positive, Host, controls, Cell, statistical, polymerase chain, Result, highest, shown, analyzed, involved, addition, inhibit, in viral, groups, positive patient, recorded, 【제목키워드】 India, ABO blood grouping,