ABO Blood Groups and the Incidence of Complications in COVID-19 Patients: A Population-Based Prospective Cohort Study

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Sep 24;18(19):10039. doi: 10.3390/ijerph181910039.

Abstract

After a COVID-19 outbreak in the Falles festival of Borriana (Spain) during March 2020, a cohort of patients were followed until October 2020 to estimate complications post-COVID-19, considering ABO blood groups (ABO). From 536 laboratory-confirmed cases, 483 completed the study (90.1%) carried by the Public Health Center of Castelló and the Emergency and Microbiology and Clinical Analysis of Hospital de la Plana Vila-real. The study included ABO determination and telephone interviews of patients. The participants had a mean age of 37.2 ± 17.1 years, 300 females (62.1%). ABO were O (41.4%), A (45.5%), B (9.1%), and AB (3.9%). We found no difference in the incidence of COVID-19 infections. A total of 159 (32.9%) patients reported one or more post-COVID-19 complications with divergent incidences after adjustment: O (32.3%), A (32.6%), B (54.1%), and AB (27.6%); B groups had more complications post-COVID-19 when compared with O group (adjusted relative risk [aRR] 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.68, 95% CI 1.24-2.27), and symptoms of fatigue (1.79, 95% CI 1.08-2.95), myalgia (2.06, 95% CI 1.10-3.84), headache (2.61, 95% CI 1.58-4.31), and disorder of vision (4.26 95% CI 1.33-13.60). In conclusion, we observed significant differences in post-COVID-19 complications by ABO, with a higher incidence in B group. Additional research is justified to confirm our results.

Keywords: ABO blood groups; COVID-19; cohort; complications; incidence; population based; post-COVID-19; symptoms.

MeSH terms

  • ABO Blood-Group System*
  • Adult
  • COVID-19*
  • Cohort Studies
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Middle Aged
  • Prospective Studies
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • ABO Blood-Group System