People With Type A Blood May Be At Higher Risk of COVID-19, Says Study

• A preliminary study, which was conducted in Wuhan and Shenzhen, found that patients with Type A Blood had higher rate of acquiring the deadly CoronaVirus (COVID-19).
• Type O Blood people on the other hand, had a “significantly lower risk” of the CoronaVirus infections.
• Although the study needed more work and verification, Chinese scientists urged China and medical institutions treating CoronaVirus patients to consider blood type differences.

Chinese scientists in Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University warned recently that people with Type A blood may be more “vulnerable” in acquiring the deadly CoronaVirus infections, which already killed thousands of patients globally.

Wang Xinghuan, a researcher who led that study with other team of Centre for Evidence-Based and Translational Medicine in Zhonghan Hospital of Wuhan University, also found out in their preliminary study that Type O Blood people, on the other hand, appeared more resistant against the flu-like symptom virus.

People of blood group A might need particularly strengthened personal protection to reduce the chance of infection,” Wang wrote in its preliminary study that was published on Medrxiv.org.

The team took blood samples of more than 2,000 patients who succumbed in the CoronaVirus in Wuhan and Shenzhen and compared the samples with healthy people there. Base on the preliminary result, the Chinese researchers found out that Type A Blood patients can easier contract the virus and can even develop severe symptoms than Type O Blood patients.

Wang then suggested to all medical practitioners treating the CoronaVirus patients to do more “vigilant surveillance” and “aggressive treatment” to patients with Type A Blood. Type O Blood patients, meanwhile had significant lower risk for the infections.

They cited that out of 206 patients who died from the virus in Wuhan, the Chinese scientists tested 45 of them had Type A blood or 63% of the number, while 52% with those Type O Blood patients. Wang stated that the significant pattern is present among different age and gender groups.

Wang then urged the Chinese government and medical practitioners treating the COVID-19 patients to consider their study, although it is still under its preliminary study. He suggested medical personnel should use this study in managing and assessing risk exposure levels of people. He admitted that the research has yet to be peer reviewed by his fellow researchers.

Since the research paper has yet to be peer reviewed, Wang disclaimed that there can be some risks involved when other fellow scientists use the study in guiding their current clinical practice.

State Key Laboratory of Experimental Haematology in Tianjin researcher Gao Yingdai welcomed the study. He said that Wang’s research can be improved by increasing the blood samples especially the number of people infected by CoronaVirus have exceeded to 180,000 worldwide.

Gao also said that the said new study showed several limitations, such as it lack a clear explanation on the phenomenon of ABO Blood Type. They said, it was not indicated the “molecular interaction between the virus and different types of red blood cells”.

He stressed that the study may be helpful to medical practitioners, but called on the public not to panic and not to take the statistics “too seriously”.

“If you are type A, there is no need to panic. It does not mean you will be infected 100%. If you are type O, it does not mean you are absolutely safe, either,” she said.

She advised the Blood Type O people to maintain washing their hands and follow the guidelines imposed by their governments.

The ABO Blood Type difference has been used as basis in other infectious diseases such as Norwalk virus, hepatitis B, and severe acute respiratory syndrome or SARs.