Blood group and CORONA?
Everyone is talking and worried about CORONA!
2 days ago I got a frantic call from my friend who works is an IT firm in Pune worried that his blood group is A positive! Even my blood group is A positive and so is true for approximately 40% of the Homo Sapiens!
His concern was that he recently read an article where it states that people with blood group A positive are more susceptible to COVID infection and also the fact that it can be more serious with increased chances of morbidity and ICU stay?
He is not absolutely wrong!
Many researchers world-wide are trying to ascertain risk factors for this new entrant on this earth! This is to help develop newer targeted and more effective, simple and cost effective treatment for this dreaded disease.
There have been many studies in last 7 months linking blood group A, B and AB to higher risk of COVID infection. All the research was carried out in Europe and USA, so the population studied was distinctly different from India. We know white Caucasians are more likely to get COVID infection than black Americans and Hispanics. Similarly the blood group distribution varies from race to race and various ethnic groups. We cannot apply the same for our Indian population.
If you are blood group O, then you are less likely to be infected from COVID as the virus has less chance to attach to your LUNG cells as opposed to people of other blood group type where the A and B antigens are present in our lung cells and hence it becomes easier for the virus to attach and enter the cells.
We also know from many years that people with blood group A has increased risk of thrombosis (blood clots) and we also know that COVID complications arise from blood clots in small blood vessels in lungs and other organs. This might be another reason for the increased risk of complications seen post COVID in people with blood group A or B.
PLEASE DON’T HAVE FALSE SECURITY IF YOUR BLOOD GROUP IS O positive!!
PLEASE DON’T WORRY A LOT IF YOUR BLOOD GROUP IS NOT O positive!!
We all have so many other risk factors apart from blood group which are easy to handle and habits we can change?? We cannot change our blood group? Can we? So take adequate precautions, wear mask and take care and donot worry about your blood group!
Dr Pritesh Junagade
August 2023
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