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Clinical Trial
. 2021 Apr;61(4):1064-1070.
doi: 10.1111/trf.16339. Epub 2021 Mar 5.

ABO blood type association with SARS-CoV-2 infection mortality: A single-center population in New York City

James Szymanski #  1 , Laurel Mohrmann #  2 , Jamal Carter  1 , Randin Nelson  1 , Sweta Chekuri  2 , Andrei Assa  2 , Brian Spund  2 , Morayma Reyes-Gil  1 , Joan Uehlinger  1 , Sarah Baron #  2 , Monika Paroder #  1
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

ABO blood type association with SARS-CoV-2 infection mortality: A single-center population in New York City

James Szymanski et al. Transfusion. 2021 Apr.

Abstract

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has a variable clinical course with significant mortality. Early reports suggested higher rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with type A blood and enrichment of type A individuals among COVID-19 mortalities.

Study design and methods: The study includes all patients hospitalized or with an emergency department (ED) visit who were tested for SARS-CoV-2 between March 10, 2020 and June 8, 2020 and had a positive test result by nucleic acid test (NAT) performed on a nasopharyngeal swab specimen. A total of 4968 patients met the study inclusion criteria, with a subsequent 23.1% (n = 1146/4968) all-cause mortality rate in the study cohort. To estimate overall risk by ABO type and account for the competing risks of in-hospital mortality and discharge, we calculated the cumulative incidence function (CIF) for each event. Cause-specific hazard ratios (csHRs) for in-hospital mortality and discharge were analyzed using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models.

Results: Type A blood was associated with the increased cause-specific hazard of death among COVID-19 patients compared to type O (HR = 1.17, 1.02-1.33, p = .02) and type B (HR = 1.32,1.10-1.58, p = .003).

Conclusions: Our study shows that ABO histo-blood group type is associated with the risk of in-hospital death in COVID-19 patients, warranting additional inquiry. Elucidating the mechanism behind this association may reveal insights into the susceptibility and/or immunity to SARS-CoV-2.

Keywords: ABO; SARS-CoV-2.

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Conflict of interest statement

None.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Study cohort
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Cumulative incidence function of COVID‐19 mortality vs discharge by ABO type. Groups compared using Gray's test for subdistribution hazards
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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