People with blood groups A, B and Rh+ are more susceptible to COVID-19 infection whereas O, AB and Rh- are at lower risk of infection, according to a study released on Tuesday by Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH).
People less than 60 years with blood group AB were found to be more prone to COVID infection.
However, the study found no association between blood groups and susceptibility to severity of disease as well as mortality.
Further, the research found people with blood group A and Rh+ types are associated with a decrease in recovery period, whereas those with blood group O and Rh- could recover fast.
"However, the ABO and/or Rh blood groups may not be responsible for this association, as these may indicate an unexplored underlying factor like co-morbidity. Therefore, larger, multicenter, and prospective studies are needed to ascertain the relationship between blood groups and SARS-CoV-2," Dr. Vivek Ranjan, Co-author and Chairperson, Department of Blood Transfusion, at SGRH.
In the 2,586 COVID-19-infected patients, the frequencies of A, B, O, and AB were 29.93 per cent, 41.80 per cent, 21.19 per cent, and 7.98 per cent, respectively.
Of the patients, 98.07 per cent were Rh positive. Blood group A and B are observed to be significantly associated with COVID-19 susceptibility, whereas blood group O and AB have low risk of COVID-19 infection.
(This story was published from a syndicated feed. Only the headline and picture has been edited by FIT)
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