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

Wesam A Nasif1, Abeer S E Ali1, Asim A Khogeer1

  • 1From Biochemistry Department (Nasif, Mukhtar, Nour Eldein, Althubiti), From Pathology Department (Ali), from the College of Medicine (Alqahtani, Alnashri, Khouj, Gadah), Umm Al-Qura University; From Plan and Research Department (Khogeer), General Directorate of Health Affairs Makkah Region, Ministry of Health; From Ajyad Emergency Hospital (Shebly), Ministry of Health, Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Medical Journal
|February 3, 2022
PubMed

Insights

COVID-19 infection rates varied by blood group, with types A and O showing higher susceptibility and type AB lower. RhD-negative individuals demonstrated protection against COVID-19 infection.

Area of Science:

  • Medical Science
  • Epidemiology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Blood group distribution and its association with infectious diseases are crucial for public health.
  • Understanding these associations can inform disease prevention and management strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the impact and distribution of blood groups in different ethnicities.
  • To determine the susceptibility to COVID-19 infection across various blood types in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective study involving 4,609 COVID-19 patients from five ethnic groups.
  • Data collected between November 2020 and June 2021 in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

Main Results:

  • Blood groups O and A were linked to higher COVID-19 infection rates, while AB showed lower rates (p=0.0001).
  • COVID-19 risk was elevated for blood groups A, B, and AB (RR=3.23) and reduced for blood group O (RR=0.783).
  • South Asians exhibited higher odds of COVID-19 infection compared to other ethnic groups (OR=1.12, p=0.04).

Conclusions:

  • COVID-19 infection is not uniformly distributed among ethnically related blood groups.
  • RhD-negative blood groups offer protection against COVID-19, whereas blood types A and O increase susceptibility.
  • Blood groups A and O are critical factors for assessing COVID-19 prognosis and vaccination priority.
Abstract

Keywords:
ABO blood groupCOVID-19RhDethnicityprevalencerisk

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