Journal of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences (May 2021)
Association between COVID-19 Infection and ABO Blood Types in Mazandaran Province, Iran: A Cross-Sectional Study
Abstract
Background and purpose: The association between ABO blood types and Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been investigated in several studies but there are inconsistencies in results. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between ABO blood types and COVID-19 infection based on serologic results. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional seroepidemiologic study was carried out in 1504 people living in Mazandaran province, north of Iran. Blood samples were drawn to determine blood groups. Also, IgG and IgM antibodies were measured by ELISA. Data analysis was done using Chi-square, Fisher’s exact test, univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses in SPSS V25. Results: The frequency of IgG positive among blood groups A, B, AB, and O was 12.7%, 11.8%, 9.4%, and 9.6%, respectively. After adjusting for suspicious confounding factors, the odds ratio of COVID-19 infection was 1.19 (95% CI:0.85-1.67) in blood group A, 1.33 (95% CI:0.94-1.87) in blood group B, 0.82 (95% CI:0.44-1.55) in blood group AB, and 0.70 (CI 95%:0.50-0.98) in blood group O based on serologic results (IgG+/IgM+). Conclusion: The odds ratio for COVID-19 was significantly lower (30%) in blood group O compared to other blood groups, so blood group O can be considered as a protective factor against COVID-19.