Frontiers in Immunology (Oct 2021)

Can the Cytokine Profile According to ABO Blood Groups Be Related to Worse Outcome in COVID-19 Patients? Yes, They Can

  • Álvaro Tamayo-Velasco,
  • María Jesús Peñarrubia Ponce,
  • Francisco Javier Álvarez,
  • Francisco Javier Álvarez,
  • Hugo Gonzalo-Benito,
  • Hugo Gonzalo-Benito,
  • Ignacio de la Fuente,
  • Sonia Pérez-González,
  • Lucía Rico,
  • María Teresa Jiménez García,
  • Alba Sánchez Rodríguez,
  • Milagros Hijas Villaizan,
  • Marta Martín-Fernández,
  • Marta Martín-Fernández,
  • Carlos Dueñas,
  • Esther Gómez-Sánchez,
  • Esther Gómez-Sánchez,
  • Esther Gómez-Sánchez,
  • María Heredia-Rodríguez,
  • María Heredia-Rodríguez,
  • María Heredia-Rodríguez,
  • Óscar Gorgojo-Galindo,
  • Óscar Gorgojo-Galindo,
  • Itziar Fernández,
  • Itziar Fernández,
  • Lourdes del Río,
  • Irene Carnicero-Frutos,
  • Irene Carnicero-Frutos,
  • María Fe Muñoz-Moreno,
  • Eduardo Tamayo,
  • Eduardo Tamayo,
  • Eduardo Tamayo,
  • David Bernardo,
  • David Bernardo,
  • Pedro Martínez-Paz,
  • Pedro Martínez-Paz

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2021.726283
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12

Abstract

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Severe status of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is extremely associated to cytokine release. Moreover, it has been suggested that blood group is also associated with the prevalence and severity of this disease. However, the relationship between the cytokine profile and blood group remains unclear in COVID-19 patients. In this sense, we prospectively recruited 108 COVID-19 patients between March and April 2020 and divided according to ABO blood group. For the analysis of 45 cytokines, plasma samples were collected in the time of admission to hospital ward or intensive care unit and at the sixth day after hospital admission. The results show that there was a risk of more than two times lower of mechanical ventilation or death in patients with blood group O (log rank: p = 0.042). At first time, all statistically significant cytokine levels, except from hepatocyte growth factor, were higher in O blood group patients meanwhile the second time showed a significant drop, between 20% and 40%. In contrast, A/B/AB group presented a maintenance of cytokine levels during time. Hepatocyte growth factor showed a significant association with intubation or mortality risk in non-O blood group patients (OR: 4.229, 95% CI (2.064–8.665), p < 0.001) and also was the only one bad prognosis biomarker in O blood group patients (OR: 8.852, 95% CI (1.540–50.878), p = 0.015). Therefore, higher cytokine levels in O blood group are associated with a better outcome than A/B/AB group in COVID-19 patients.

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