European researchers look for more clues about infection
A person’s blood type and other genetic factors may be linked to the severity of a new coronavirus infection, according to European researchers looking for more clues to explain why covid-19 affects some people so much harder than others.
The findings, published in the scientific journal The New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday (17), suggest that people with type A blood are at greater risk of developing more severe symptoms when infected with the new coronavirus.
At the height of the epidemic in Europe, researchers analyzed the genes of more than 4,000 people for variations that are common in those who were infected with the virus and developed severe cases of covid-19.
A number of variants in genes that are involved in immune reactions are more common in people with severe cases of covid-19, the scientists found. These genes are also involved with a cell surface protein called ACE2, which the coronavirus uses to gain access to cells in the body and infect them.
The researchers, led by doctors Andre Franke, from Christian-Albrecht University in Kiel, Germany, and Tom Karlsen, from Oslo University Hospital, Norway, also found a relationship between the severity of covid-19 and the blood type. The risk of severe cases of covid-19 is 45% higher for people with type A blood than people with other blood types, and appears to be 35% lower for people with type O blood.
“The findings offer specific clues about the disease processes that can happen in severe covid-19,” Karlsen told Reuters by email, noting that further research is needed before the information becomes useful.
“The hope is that this and other findings will pave the way for a more comprehensive understanding of the biology of covid-19,” wrote Francis Collins, director of the US National Institutes of Health and a specialist in genetics, in his blog this Thursday. (18).
“They also suggest that a genetic test and a person’s blood type can provide useful tools to identify those who are most at risk for a serious illness.”
