Blood types (ABO/Rhesus) and SARS-CoV-2 infection: a retrospective, cross-sectional study in 2828 healthcare workers

Betul Copur; Serkan Surme; Ugurcan Sayili; Gulsah Tuncer; Melike Nur Ozcelik; Hulya Yilmaz-Ak; Muge Topal; Sumeyye Ustun-Al; Filiz Pehlivanoglu; Gonul Sengoz

doi:10.2217/fvl-2022-0128

Blood types (ABO/Rhesus) and SARS-CoV-2 infection: a retrospective, cross-sectional study in 2828 healthcare workers

Future Virol. 2022 Oct:10.2217/fvl-2022-0128. doi: 10.2217/fvl-2022-0128. Epub 2022 Oct 17.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Infectious Diseases & Clinical Microbiology, Haseki Training & Research Hospital, Istanbul, 34096, Turkey.
² Department of Medical Microbiology, Institute of Graduate Studies, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Istanbul, 34098, Turkey.
³ Department of Public Health, Cerrahpasa Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Istanbul, 34098, Turkey.
⁴ Department of Anesthesiology & Reanimation, Lutfi Kirdar Kartal Training & Research Hospital, Istanbul, 34865, Turkey.
⁵ Infection Control Committee, Haseki Training & Research Hospital, Istanbul, 34096, Turkey.

Abstract

Background: The authors aimed to investigate the relationship between ABO/Rhesus blood types and the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and hospitalization in healthcare workers (HCWs). Materials & methods: This study compared HCWs with (n = 510) and without (n = 2318) SARS-CoV-2 infection. Risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection and hospitalization in HCWs were shown as odds ratios with 95% CI. Results: Blood group O was found to be protective by 20% from the risk of developing SARS-CoV-2 infection in HCWs (29.2 vs 33.8%; odds ratio: 0.808; 95% CI: 0.655-0.996; p = 0.045). The prevalence of group O was lower in hospitalized patients than in outpatients (25 vs 29.5%; p = 0.614). Conclusion: These findings suggest that blood groups are associated with the development of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Keywords: ABO blood groups; Rhesus status; SARS-CoV-2; healthcare workers.