Skip to main content

People with blood type A might be more susceptible to coronavirus, study finds

People with blood type A might be more vulnerable to the coronavirus, while those with type O blood could be more resistant, according to a new preliminary study from China.
Researchers studying COVID-19 in its outbreak epicenter, Wuhan, and the city of Shenzhen found the proportion of Type-A patients both infected and killed by the disease to be “significantly” higher than those with the same blood type in the general public.
Type O patients, meanwhile, made up a smaller proportion of both those infected and killed by the virus.
“People of blood group A might need particularly strengthened personal protection to reduce the chance of infection,” wrote the researchers at the Centre for Evidence-Based and Translational Medicine based out of Wuhan.
Though the team, led by Wang Xinghuan, couched the study as “preliminary,” with more work needed to be done to develop concrete findings.
The research, published on Medrxiv.org, compared blood types of 2,173 confirmed coronavirus cases in Wuhan and Shenzhen to more than 3,694 healthy residents in the Wuhan area.
While 31.16 percent of Wuhan residents had type A blood, 37.75 percent of surveyed coronavirus patients at the local Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital were of the same blood type.
And of the same sample of coronavirus cases at the hospital, 25.8 percent had type O blood, compared to 33.84 percent in the general population.
The study also examined 206 patients who died from the virus, finding 85 victims, or 41.26 percent, had Type A blood. Just 52 of the deaths, or about a quarter, had Type O.
Scientists not involved with the study told the South China Morning Post that a much larger sample size was needed to guide medical practices.
“If you are type A, there is no need to panic. It does not mean you will be infected 100 percent,” Gao Yingdai, a researcher in the city of Tianjin, told the outlet. “If you are type O, it does not mean you are absolutely safe, either. You still need to wash your hands and follow the guidelines issued by authorities.”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

European Union will close its borders to all non-essential travel to fight coronavirus

Madrid (ITNTV) The European Union will close its borders to all non-essential travel as it attempts to contain the  ongoing spread of the coronavirus  on the continent. "The less travel, the more we can contain the virus," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Monday following a video conference between G7 leaders. She appeared confident that the European Council would sign off on the restriction in a Tuesday vote. The bloc's member states imposed aggressive measures on Monday,  days after the  World Health Organization (WHO) said Europe was at the epicenter of the pandemic. French President Emmanuel Macron declared "war" on the virus during a national address on Monday, banning all social events across the country -- including family gatherings. Macron said those who have gathered in public places in recent days have not been respecting previous measures to limit the outbreak's spread in France, which as of Monday had 5,380 con...
Post a Comment
Read more

PhD positions: In Institute of Biochemistry, Jena University Hospital - Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany

PhD positions: In Institute of Biochemistry, Jena University Hospital - Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany   🇩🇪 . Subjects: Neurobiology / Imaging Description: 1 PhD position in Neurobiology / Imaging Prof. Britta Qualmann, Inst. of Biochem. I, UKJ - Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany Prof. Christian Geis, Section of Translat. Neuroimmunol., Dept. Neurol., UKJ We seek for a productive addition to our research team in a collaborative project. We plan to study pathomechanisms of synaptic changes underlying autoimmune disorders of the central nervous system applying super-resolution microscopy. The Geis lab examines immune-mediated changes of synapses by interactions with pathogenic human antibodies against neuronal proteins. Short- and long-term effects on neuronal networks are analyzed using electrophysiological and various microscopy methods. The Qualmann lab is an internationally well-known lab that focusses on proteins with the power to s...
Post a Comment
Read more

80 pct of life stopped in Turkey due to outbreak, says interior minister

Turkish citizens, especially those living in metropolises, have been abiding by the “social isolation” principles laid out by the government, Interior Minister  Süleyman Soylu  has said, adding that almost 80 percent of life “stopped” in  Turkey . “Up until now, just our ministry issued 38 circulars, 17 of which concern the borders. Many high-level precautions have been taken. Right now, 80 percent of life stopped in Turkey,” Soylu said on March 26 in an interview with a private broadcaster. Soylu also provided updated figures for passenger traffic. He said that there is a 73 percent decline in inter-city bus services, adding that these services can also be suspended if needed. On intra-city traffic, Soylu said that there has been an 80 percent decline. This figure was 65 percent according to another interview the minister held on March 25. The government has four cruxes it predicates on when taking measures against the spread of the novel  coronaviru...
Post a Comment
Read more