Blood Type A More Vulnerable To Coronavirus: Wuhan-Based Study

A new study by Chinese academics from Wuhan found that people with blood type A are more likely to catch the coronavirus infection. The study also states that chances of dying as a result of coronavirus are also high in people with this blood type as compared to other blood groups. The study was conducted on the patients in Wuhan, which was where the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) originated. The findings of the study are yet to be scrutinized by other peer academics. Scientists who were not involved in the study told that much larger sample size was needed to confirm the results.

Key Takeaways:

• People with the blood type A are more vulnerable to catching coronavirus as compared to the other blood groups. Blood type O is the most resistant to the virus, a Wuhan based study found.
• Of the total 2,000 patients considered in the study, a quarter of the patients belonged to O blood type, whereas around 41 per cent of patients had A-type.  
• The researchers are yet to explain the correlation of virus with the blood group type and other academics, as well as senior researchers, are yet to scrutinize the fact.
• The results of the study can also not be accepted globally because of the prevalence of various blood group types varies from country to country.

In Wuhan, which has a population of about 11 million, type O is 32 per cent, while A is 34 per cent among healthy people. Of 206 patients who had died from Covid-19 in Wuhan, 85 had type A blood, which was 63 per cent more than the 52 with type O, reported The Star.

Blood Group A Tends To Develop More Severe Symptoms

“People of blood group A might need particularly strengthened personal protection to reduce the chance of infection,” wrote the researchers led by Wang Xinghuan with the Centre for Evidence-Based and Translational Medicine at Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, The Star reported. “Sars-CoV-2-infected patients with blood group A might need to receive more vigilant surveillance and aggressive treatment,” Wang wrote.

In the paper they published on March 11, they wrote, “blood group O had a significantly lower risk for the infectious disease compared with non-O blood groups." “It might be helpful to introduce ABO blood typing in both patients and medical personnel as a routine part of the management of Sars-CoV-2 and other coronavirus infections, to help define the management options and assess risk exposure levels of people,” Wang wrote in the paper.

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The Results Cannot Be Standardised Globally

The findings of the study are yet to be scrutinized by other peer academics. Scientists who were not involved in the study told the South China Morning Post (SCMP) that much larger sample size was needed to confirm the results. The study involved around 2,000 patients in Wuhan. Gao Yingdai, a researcher with the State Key Laboratory of Experimental Haematology in Tianjin who was not involved in the study told SCMP that the results can be improved, but with larger sample size, considering the number of people the virus has infected. The study also didn't provide a clear indication of the relation between the virus and various types of red blood cells, he added.

“If you are type A, there is no need to panic. It does not mean you will be infected 100 per cent,” Gao Yingdai added. “If you are type O, it does not mean you are absolutely safe, either. You still need to wash your hands and follow the guidelines issued by authorities.”

The results of the study can also not be accepted globally because of the prevalence of various blood group types varies from country to country. For Example, in the United States, about 44 per cent of the population is type O, while about 41 per cent is type A. In Wuhan, which has a population of about 11 million, type O is 32 per cent, while A is 34 per cent among healthy people. Of 206 patients who had died from Covid-19 in Wuhan, 85 had type A blood, which was 63 per cent more than the 52 with type O.

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