ABO Blood Group Type and Susceptibility to COVID-19 Infection

Since December 2019, the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pan- demic has extended its reach over most of the world, infecting over four million people and causing well over 300,000 deaths so far.[1] A significant percentage of infected patients de-velop severe symptoms and life-threatening conditions. While COVID-19 infection can affect all ages, available evidence points to older age and pre-existing comor- bidities, such as hypertension, diabetes, and coronary heart disease, as important risk factors related to increased mortality rates.[2- 4] Moreover, recent reports from China and the U.S. have suggested that susceptibility, and perhaps even mortality, to COVID-19 infection might be influenced by the ABO blood type. The purpose of the present minireview is to analyze the evidence published in the COVID-19 literature and to put it in the context of the existing knowledge about the association of blood group types and disease.