ABO and Rhesus blood type severity outcome in COVID-19

Abstract

Novel Corona Virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by the strain Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus 2 (SARSCoV-2). Since December 2019 it has rapidly emerged as a pandemic which has spread throughout the world and till date we are finding fresh cases of COVID-19. The current study aims to investigate the ABO, Rhesus blood type susceptibility in COVID-19. A cross sectional retrospective study of 300 COVID 19 cases confirmed by Real Time Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) with documented ABO, Rhesus (Rh) blood group was carried out. Among 300 COVID-19 cases, 60% were males and 40% were females. The mean age of study population is 54.59±14.18. Out of 300 cases, 80 (26.7%) had blood group O (20 were severe and 60 non-severe cases), 84 (28%) had blood group A (30 were severe and 54 non-severe cases), 116 (38.7%) had blood group B (52 were severe and 64 non-severe cases), 20 (6.7%) had blood group AB (6 were severe and 14 non-severe cases). The proportion of blood group O individuals are less compared to non-O blood group. The blood group B individuals’ proportion is higher in severe and non-severe cases which is statistically significant (p =0.038). Out of 300 cases 270 had Rh positive blood group (90 were severe and 180 non-severe cases) and 30 had Rh negative blood group (18 were severe and 12 non-severe cases) and 67% reduction in severity of covid19 in Rh positive (p=0.004). Current study declares, individuals with blood group O and Rh negative have lesser severity to get infected with SARSCoV-2.