Does your blood type determine how sick you get from corona?

Many people who contract COVID-19 develop only mild symptoms of illness, or sometimes show no symptoms at all. Others develop breathing problems that require oxygen support or even a respirator to help them recover [1]. It is clear that this is more common in men than in women, and in people who are older or chronically ill. But why do these problems sometimes occur even in people who are young and apparently healthy?

A 2020 study suggests that part of the answer to this question can be traced in the genes that each of us carries [2]. Although more research is needed to determine the exact underlying genes and mechanisms responsible, so-called genome-wide association (GWAS) (GWAS) study published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that gene variants in two regions of the human genome may be associated with a severe course ofCOVID-19 and thus increase the risk of mortality from COVID-19-.

It is known that the two stretches of DNA that carry risk for severe COVID-19 contain a number of important genes,

• one that determines blood type and
• one that plays a role in the immune system.

With Blood Type A 50% high risk of severe covid

The findings even suggest that people with blood type A are at a 50 percent greater risk of needing oxygen support or a respirator if they become infected with the new coronavirus. In contrast, this study shows that people with blood type O have about a 50 percent lower risk of severe COVID-19. These new findings come from a large study that followed 1980 people treated for severe COVID-19 and lung failure over time at seven medical centers in Italy and Spain.

While this study has a great deal of future potential, the hope is that these and other findings yet to come will point the way to a more thorough understanding of the biology of COVID-19.

It does seem that a genetic test and your blood type can provide useful information on how severe the course of a COVID-19 infection will be.

Do you know your blood type yet?

More information about the corona tests can be found here:

https://www.bloodtesting.nl/bloedonderzoek/covid-19-coronatesten/

References:

[1]Characteristics of and important lessons from the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in China: Summary of a report of 72 314 cases from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Wu Z, McGoogan JM, et. al. 2020 Feb 24.

[2]Genomewide association study of severe Covid-19 with respiratory failure. Ellinghaus D, Degenhardt F, et. a. NEJM. June 17, 2020.

For the various corona tests see: