Study Ties Blood Type to COVID-19 Risk; O May Help, A Hurt – Snopes.com

Numerous scientists have been hunting for hints regarding why some individuals infected with the coronavirus get extremely ill and others, less so. Being older or male appears to increase danger, and scientists have actually been taking a look at genes as another possible “host factor” that influences illness severity.

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Blood type also has actually been tied to susceptibility to some other contagious diseases, including cholera, reoccurring urinary tract infections from E. coli, and a bug called H. pylori that can trigger ulcers and stomach cancer, stated Dr. David Valle, director of the Institute of Genetic Medicine at Johns Hopkins University.

Throughout the SARS outbreak, which was triggered by a genetic cousin of the coronavirus triggering the existing pandemic, “it was kept in mind that people with O blood type were less likely to get severe illness,” he stated.

“Most of us discounted it due to the fact that it was a very crude research study,” Dr. Parameswaran Hari, a blood specialist at the Medical College of Wisconsin, said of the report from China. With the new work, “now I believe it,” he said. “It could be really important.”

A genetic analysis of COVID-19 clients recommends that blood type might influence whether someone develops extreme disease.

Other researchers advised caution.

The report in the New England Journal of Medicine does not prove a blood type connection, however it does confirm a previous report from China of such a link.

Bottom line: “It’s a provocative research study. It’s in my view well worth publishing and going out there,” however it requires confirmation in more clients, Valle stated.

The proof of a role for blood type is “tentative … it isn’t enough of a signal to be sure,” said Dr. Eric Topol, head of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in San Diego.

The majority of hereditary studies like this are much larger, so it would be necessary to see if other researchers can take a look at other groups of patients to see if they discover the same links, Topol said.

Scientists who compared the genes of thousands of patients in Europe found that those who had Type A blood were most likely to have extreme disease while those with Type O were less likely.

There are 4 main blood types– A, B, AB and O– and “it’s figured out by proteins on the surface area of your red cell,” stated Dr. Mary Horowitz, clinical chief at the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research.

The study, involving scientists in Italy, Spain, Denmark, Germany and other countries, compared about 2,000 clients with serious COVID-19 to a number of thousand other individuals who were healthy or who had just moderate or no symptoms. Researchers tied variations in six genes to the likelihood of extreme illness, including some that could have a role in how susceptible people are to the virus. They likewise tied blood groups to possible danger.

People with Type O are much better able to recognize certain proteins as foreign, and that might encompass proteins on infection surface areas, Hari discussed.

“Most of us discounted it due to the fact that it was a really unrefined research study,” Dr. Parameswaran Hari, a blood expert at the Medical College of Wisconsin, said of the report from China. With the brand-new work, “now I believe it,” he said. The research study, involving researchers in Italy, Spain, Denmark, Germany and other nations, compared about 2,000 patients with severe COVID-19 to numerous thousand other people who were healthy or who had just mild or no signs. Scientist connected variations in 6 genes to the likelihood of extreme illness, including some that might have a role in how susceptible individuals are to the infection.

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