ABO blood group influence COVID-19 infection: a meta-analysis

Authors

  • Huaqiang Wang Department of Clinical Laboratory, Hainan Modern Women and Children Hospital, Haikou, Hainan, China
  • Jiajuan Zhang Department of Quality Control, Nanjing Red Cross Blood Center, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
  • Lu Jia Department of Quality Control, Nanjing Red Cross Blood Center, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
  • Jun Ai Department of Quality Control, Nanjing Red Cross Blood Center, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
  • Yuecheng Yu Department of Liver Diseases of Qinhuai Medical District, General Hospital of Eastern Theater Command, Nangjing, Jiangsu, China
  • Maorong Wang Department of Liver Diseases of Qinhuai Medical District, General Hospital of Eastern Theater Command, Nangjing, Jiangsu, China
  • Ping Li Department of Liver Diseases of Qinhuai Medical District, General Hospital of Eastern Theater Command, Nangjing, Jiangsu, China

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3855/jidc.13815

Keywords:

COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019, ABO blood group, meta-analysis

Abstract

Introduction: Previous studies have linked the relationship between ABO blood group and COVID-19 infection. However, existing evidence is preliminary and controversial. This meta-analysis sought to identify studies that describe COVID-19 and ABO blood group.

Methodology: A literature search was conducted from PubMed, Web of Science, MedRxiv, BioRxiv and Google Scholar databases. Members of cases and controls were extracted from collected studies. Pooled Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95%CI) were calculated and interpreted from extracted data. Publication bias and sensitivity analysis were also applied to confirm our discovery.

Results: Total 13,600 patients and 3,445,047 controls were included in the study. Compared to other ABO blood group, blood group O was associated with a lower risk of COVID-19 infection (OR = 0.76, 95%CI 0.66-0.84), while blood group A and AB was associated with a higher risk (OR = 1.25, 95%CI 1.10-1.41; OR = 1.13, 95%CI 1.04-1.23, respectively). In the subgroup analysis, the relationship between blood group A, O and COVID-19 infection remained stable among Chinese, European and Eastern Mediterranean populations. In American population, blood groups B was linked with increased risk of COVID-19 infection (OR = 1.21, 95%CI 1.09-1.35).

Conclusions: Our data suggested that individuals with blood types A and AB are more susceptible to COVID-19, while people with blood type O are less susceptible to infection. More research is needed to clarify the precise role of the ABO blood group in COVID-19 infection to address the global question.

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Published

2021-12-31

How to Cite

1.
Wang H, Zhang J, Jia L, Ai J, Yu Y, Wang M, Li P (2021) ABO blood group influence COVID-19 infection: a meta-analysis. J Infect Dev Ctries 15:1801–1807. doi: 10.3855/jidc.13815

Issue

Section

Coronavirus Pandemic