Blood Index: How does the blood factor influence the severity of COVID-19?

There are people who go through the disease asymptomatically, who only experience a mild cold, those who suffer from severe flu, and those who require hospitalization and respiratory assistance.

The way in which COVID-19 manifests itself and the response of each organism depend, without a doubt, on an infinite number of factors that medicine has been trying to elucidate for the past year and a half to unravel.

It influences the way each individual eats, their basic state of health – whether or not they suffer from other illnesses – whether they exercise, whether they smoke, among other factors. And since the start of the new coronavirus pandemic, Experts have wondered if the blood type could influence the development of a serious COVID-19 picture.

German and Norwegian researchers analyzed the different blood groups in relation to the course of the SARS-CoV-2 infection and came to surprising conclusions, although they made it clear that they are still provisional. For them, One of the reasons for the very different course of the disease may lie in the patient’s blood group.. Scientists have studied the influence it can have in the cases of patients of particular gravity.

The researchers studied 1,610 patients with respiratory collapse due to COVID-19 in Italy and Spain: more specifically, from Milan, Monza, Madrid, San Sebastian and Barcelona. All presented a very serious image. Some did not survive. As they published, the scientists analyzed the DNA material of patients at certain points, where variations often occur. The discovered genetic characteristics were compared to blood samples from 2,250 healthy people.

In a first result, the researchers found that people with blood group A seem to have a particularly high risk of undergoing a serious evolution.. In Germany, for example, 43% of the population has this blood type. In this segment, the risk of needing oxygen or mechanical breathing in COVID-19 illness could double that of people in group “0”, as the experts observed.

While the latter may feel lucky in the current situation, the study authors stressed that they are also not immune to being infected with the coronavirus. Although, according to the study, in his case the danger of a serious development is less. Blood group 0, which represents 41% of the German population, also has other peculiarities: those who have it are universal donors.

Blood groups B and AB, corresponding to 11 and 5% of the population respectively, are not as common and are said to be in an intermediate position when it comes to COVID-19, according to the study.

sang they also show a smoother course of the disease with blood group 0. Almost at the same time, the Medical University of Graz reported on their own series of experiments aimed at clarifying this phenomenon that links blood to the possibility to become seriously ill with COVID -19.

Thus, the researchers believe that if the results of the study are confirmed, the results could be useful for the development of pharmacological therapies.

Before the current pandemic, other similar research was already revealing the relationship between blood groups and other diseases, such as malaria. During this time, people with blood group 0 are known to get seriously ill with malaria and they are better protected against an aggressive development of this evil. There are other diseases in which other blood groups protect their carriers better. For example, group A in the case of plague.

Now scientists are on the blood trail amid all efforts to unravel the mysteries of COVID-19 and get the disease under control.

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