PLoS ONE (Jan 2023)

ABO blood group as a determinant of COVID-19 and Long COVID: An observational, longitudinal, large study.

  • Joan B Soriano,
  • Adrián Peláez,
  • Xavier Busquets,
  • María Rodrigo-García,
  • Elena Ávalos Pérez-Urría,
  • Tamara Alonso,
  • Rosa Girón,
  • Claudia Valenzuela,
  • Celeste Marcos,
  • Elena García-Castillo,
  • Julio Ancochea

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0286769
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 18, no. 6
p. e0286769

Abstract

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BackgroundAn association of ABO blood group and COVID-19 remains controversial.MethodsFollowing STROBE guidance for observational research, we explored the distribution of ABO blood group in patients hospitalized for acute COVID-19 and in those with Long COVID. Contingency tables were made and risk factors were explored using crude and adjusted Mantle-Haentzel odds ratios (OR and 95% CI).ResultsUp to September 2022, there were a total of 5,832 acute COVID-19 hospitalizations in our hospital, corresponding to 5,503 individual patients, of whom blood group determination was available for 1,513 (27.5%). Their distribution by ABO was: 653 (43.2%) group 0, 690 (45.6%) A, 113 (7.5%) B, and 57 (3.8%) AB, which corresponds to the expected frequencies in the general population. In parallel, of 676 patients with Long COVID, blood group determination was available for 135 (20.0%). Their distribution was: 60 (44.4%) from group 0, 61 (45.2%) A, 9 (6.7%) B, and 5 (3.7%) AB. The distribution of the ABO system of Long COVID patients did not show significant differences with respect to that of the total group (p ≥ 0.843). In a multivariate analysis adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, and severity of acute COVID-19 infection, subgroups A, AB, and B were not significantly associated with developing Long COVID with an OR of 1.015 [0.669-1.541], 1.327 [0.490-3.594] and 0.965 [0.453-2.058], respectively. The effect of the Rh+ factor was also not significant 1,423 [0.772-2,622] regarding Long COVID.ConclusionsNo association of any ABO blood subgroup with COVID-19 or developing Long COVID was identified.