People with A, B blood groups and Rh+ more vulnerable to Covid-19: study

According to a new study, those with blood group A, B, and Rh factor (Rhesus factor) positive are more “vulnerable to Covid-19 infection” than those with blood group O or AB and Rh negative. The study was carried out by specialists at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi.

A statement released by Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH) on Tuesday reveals that the research was conducted on a total of 2,586 Covid-positive patients. They tested patients who were admitted to the hospital from April 8 to October 4 in 2020 through real-time PCR (RT-PCR). The study was carried by the Department of Research and Department of Blood Transfusion Medicine at the SGRH. It has been published in the November 21 edition of ‘Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology’.

The study says that “people having blood groups A, B and Rh+ are more susceptible to Covid-19 infection whereas (those with) O, AB and Rh- are at lower risk of Covid-19 infection.” The research also claims that “there is no association between blood groups, and susceptibility to severity of disease as well as mortality.”

The Rh factor or the Rhesus factor is a protein that is present on the surface of red blood cells (RBCs). Simply put, the positive or negative sign next to our blood groups denotes the Rh factor. So, if you have a positive blood type, this means that the blood cells have the Rh protein. If you have a negative blood type, then the blood cells lack the Rh protein.

“Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is a new virus, and it is unclear whether blood groups have any impact on Covid-19 risk or progression. Therefore, we investigated the association of ABO and Rh blood group with Covid-19 susceptibility, prognosis, recovery time, and mortality in this study,” Dr Rashmi Rana, Consultant, Department of Research, SGRH, said in a statement. The patients also had to go through a follow-up till their last date of admission as either discharged or deceased during the study, the hospital authorities said.