Your blood type may determine how susceptible you are to contracting a serious case of COVID-19, new studies show.
Three studies indicate those with Type O blood have at least some protection against the coronavirus, while people with Type A tend to contract the virus more often and develop more severe cases.
The studies are limited in scope, so it’s too early to say if their findings have discovered a conclusive link between blood type and disease outcomes. Other factors such as age and pre-existing conditions have a stronger track record of predicting a person’s vulnerability.
And the findings do not mean people with Type O blood should let their guard down.
“These studies add to our knowledge of those who are going to have better outcomes, and those who will have less successful outcomes,” said Sandra Adams, a professor of biology at Montclair State University, who reviewed two of the studies. “I would not tell those with blood Type O to go out and party and forget about all the other factors.”
One study published in the New England Journal of Medicine last week looked at the blood types of 1,980 patients in Italy and Spain, two of the European countries hit hardest by the pandemic.
Researchers found the Type O blood group to be associated with a lower risk of acquiring COVID-19 than non-O blood groups. The Type A blood group was associated with a higher risk than non-A groups.
Two other studies, both of which have yet to be peer reviewed, show similar findings.
One looked at 2,173 Chinese patients in Wuhan and Shenzhen and discovered similar findings. But the study, published in late March, said it was “premature” for its findings to guide clinical practice. However, they “should encourage further investigation of the relationship between the ABO blood group and the COVID-19 susceptibility,” the study said.
The other study — the only one of the three involving U.S. patients — determined people with Type A blood were 33% more likely to test positive for COVID-19 than others. The study, involving 1,559 New York patients, also found that those with Type O blood remained the least likely to test positive.
Type O is the most common blood type, according to the American Red Cross.
Studies have linked blood type with outcomes for other viruses, and found the anti-A antibodies in Type O blood have proved helpful, Adams said.
But the studies likely will not lead to an immediate cure or single treatment for COVID-19, she said. Instead, they could further inform doctors’ and researchers’ approaches to understanding it.
“Because there are so many variables, I think this should be added to the list of factors that we consider” in treating the virus, Adams said.
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Amanda Hoover may be reached at ahoover@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @amandahoovernj.
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