Association of ABO blood types and clinical variables with COVID-19 infection severity in Libya.

OBJECTIVE

The continuing COVID-19 pandemic is a coronavirus-related health emergency (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2). Inadequate efforts are still being made to address the illness situation in Libya, and this must change. To address these issues, we looked into the demography and trend of the disease as well as the potential risk factors for infection.

METHODS

This study is a retrospective case-control study conducted online among 616 COVID-19 patients. The value, odds ratios, and 95% confidence intervals were calculated and analyzed from the drawn data.

RESULTS

Males were at high risk of COVID-19 than females (odds ratio = 1.3, 95% confidence interval: 1.042-1.622;  = 0.02). Anosmia and ageusia were more prominent in females. Patients with an "AB" blood group are significantly susceptible to infection. Adults (31 and above) are highly liable to infection. The univariate logistic regression analysis revealed that smoking is a risk factor for those above 60 years (odds ratio = 2.228, 95% confidence interval: 1.145-4.336;  = 0.018). Individuals with chronic diseases such as diabetes and/or hypertension are more prone to COVID-19 (odds ratio = 10.045, 95% confidence interval: 3.078-32.794;  = 0.000 and odds ratio = 11.508, 95% confidence interval: 3.930-33.695;  = 0.000, respectively).

CONCLUSION

This study provided for the first time the demographic data and the trend of COVID-19 infection in Libya, which will assist the stakeholders and governmental bodies in planning protection strategies against the pandemic.