Association between ABO blood types and the prognosis and mortality rates in patients with severe COVID-19 admitted in the intensive care unit of a tertiary-level hospital in Turkey.

OBJECTIVES

There is limited number of data showing possible correlation between ABO blood types and prognosis and mortality of COVID-19 patients. It was aimed to investigate whether ABO blood group type affects the prognosis and mortality rates in patients with severe COVID-19 hospitalized in the ICU (intensive care unit) of a tertiary-level hospital in Turkey.

METHODS

The data of 273 patients with diagnosis of severe COVID-19 who were admitted to ICU from April 2020 through June 2021 and in an age range between 25-93 years were evaluated in this retrospective study.

RESULTS

Blood group distribution was 47.3, 13.2, 10.6 and 28.9% for groups A, B, AB, and O, respectively. As a respiratory status at admission to ICU, the ratio of intubation patients with blood type O was significantly higher than of other groups while most of patients in group A achieved spontaneous respiration without any mechanical ventilator ( = .0168). The mean neutrophil ratio, NLR, concentrations of procalcitonin, lactate, urea and ferritin significantly increased in the serum of patients with type O ( < .01 for all except  = .016 for the ferritin). The weaning duration was longest among patients with blood group O while the hospitalization duration was longest among patients with group AB; however, there was not significant difference ( > .05). The highest mortality rate was calculated in group AB as 68.97% and lowest was 47.2% in group B without any statistical difference ( > .05).

CONCLUSION

ABO blood types carry different association risk factors for the prognosis of severe COVID-19 patients hospitalized in ICU. Specifically, blood group O was correlated with an increased risk of deterioration of respiratory status including intubation and elevation of laboratory findings whereas it did not affect the risk of increased mortality.