Bermuda Post

Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Study links blood type to COVID-19 severity

Study links blood type to COVID-19 severity

A genetic analysis of patients with COVID-19 released Wednesday indicates that blood type could influence whether someone develops severe symptoms of the disease.
Scientists who compared the genes of thousands of patients in Europe found that those with type A blood were more likely to develop severe disease, while those with type O were less likely.

The report published in the New England Journal of Medicine does not prove that there is a connection to the blood group, but corroborates an earlier discovery in China, which is mentioned in the report.

Most of us dismissed at the beginning it because it was a very crude study, said Dr. Parameswaran Hari, a blood specialist at the Wisconsin School of Medicine. "Now I believe it ... it could be very important," he continued.

However, other scientists call for caution.

The evidence that blood group has a role is preliminary and not a sufficient signal to be sure, said Dr. Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in San Diego.

The study, which involved scientists from Italy, Spain, Denmark, Germany, and other nations, compared about 2,000 patients with severe symptoms of COVID-19 to several thousand people who were healthy, developed mild symptoms of the disease, or were asymptomatic. The researchers linked variations in six genes to the likelihood of severe symptoms, including some that may have a role in people's vulnerability to the virus. They also linked blood types to possible risks.

Most genetic studies like this one are much larger, so it would be important to see, if other scientists can reproduce the same results in other patient groups, Topol noted.

Many researchers have searched for clues as to why some people who get the coronavirus become seriously ill and others less so. Being older or male appears to increase risk, and scientists have looked at genes as another possible factor influencing the severity of the disease.

There are four main blood groups: A, B, AB and O, and they are determined "by proteins on the surface of red blood cells," said Dr. Mary Horowitz, scientific director at the Center for International Blood Transplant Research and Marrow.

People with type O blood are better able to recognize certain proteins as foreign and that can extend to proteins on the virus's surface, Hari explained.

During the SARS outbreak, the severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by a genetic cousin of the coronavirus that caused the current pandemic, "people with type O blood were found to be less likely to develop severe symptoms," he added.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Bermuda Post
0:00
0:00
Close
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Israel: Unprecedented Civil Disobedience Looms as IDF Reservists Protest Judiciary Reform
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell freezes up, leaves press conference
Speaker McCarthy says the United States House of Representatives is getting ready to impeach Joe Biden.
San Francisco car crash
This camera man is a genius
3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa
Next level gaming
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
'I just lost it' Lowe’s worker fired after 13 years of employment for confronting thieves trying to steal $2K of merchandise
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
Europe is boiling: Extreme Weather Conditions Prevail Across the Continent
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Italian Court's Controversial Ruling on Sexual Harassment Ignites Uproar
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
×