|
1
|
Ferous S, Siafakas N, Boufidou F, Patrinos GP, Tsakris A, Anastassopoulou C. Investigating ABO Blood Groups and Secretor Status in Relation to SARS-CoV-2 Infection and COVID-19 Severity. J Pers Med 2024; 14:346. [PMID: 38672973 PMCID: PMC11051264 DOI: 10.3390/jpm14040346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2024] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The ABO blood groups, Lewis antigens, and secretor systems are important components of transfusion medicine. These interconnected systems have been also shown to be associated with differing susceptibility to bacterial and viral infections, likely as the result of selection over the course of evolution and the constant tug of war between humans and infectious microbes. This comprehensive narrative review aimed to explore the literature and to present the current state of knowledge on reported associations of the ABO, Lewis, and secretor blood groups with SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity. Our main finding was that the A blood group may be associated with increased susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection, and possibly also with increased disease severity and overall mortality. The proposed pathophysiological pathways explaining this potential association include antibody-mediated mechanisms and increased thrombotic risk amongst blood group A individuals, in addition to altered inflammatory cytokine expression profiles. Preliminary evidence does not support the association between ABO blood groups and COVID-19 vaccine response, or the risk of developing long COVID. Even though the emergency state of the pandemic is over, further research is needed especially in this area since tens of millions of people worldwide suffer from lingering COVID-19 symptoms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stefanos Ferous
- Department of Microbiology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 75 Mikras Asias Street, 11527 Athens, Greece; (S.F.); (A.T.)
| | - Nikolaos Siafakas
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Attikon General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece;
| | - Fotini Boufidou
- Neurochemistry and Biological Markers Unit, 1st Department of Neurology, Eginition Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11528 Athens, Greece;
| | - George P. Patrinos
- Laboratory of Pharmacogenomics and Individualized Therapy, Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, University of Patras, 26504 Patras, Greece;
- Zayed Center for Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates
- Department of Genetics and Genomics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates
| | - Athanasios Tsakris
- Department of Microbiology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 75 Mikras Asias Street, 11527 Athens, Greece; (S.F.); (A.T.)
| | - Cleo Anastassopoulou
- Department of Microbiology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 75 Mikras Asias Street, 11527 Athens, Greece; (S.F.); (A.T.)
| |
Collapse
|