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This blood type makes you more likely to get COVID, says a new study
Now, a year after the pandemic began, most of us know that certain conditions or personal habits can affect our chances of contracting the coronavirus or developing severe COVID. But there is also growing research that certain genetic characteristics that are not always visible to the naked eye can also increase the risk of getting the disease. Now, a new study by scientists at Harvard Medical School and Emory University School of Medicine has found more evidence that blood type may influence the likelihood that you will contract COVID in general. Read on to see how what’s in your veins can increase your risk and to learn more about what else may be increasing your chances of getting sick, see If you’ve done this recently, you’re 70 percent more likely to get COVID. Coronavirus is more likely to bind to a specific type of blood cell of type A. The team of scientists from Harvard and Emory conducted a laboratory study to better understand how SARS-CoV-2 interacts with blood types A, B and O. The researchers focused on the part of the virus known as the receptor-binding domain (RBD), which the pathogen uses to bind to cells as soon as it enters the body. The results, published in the journal Blood Advances, showed that the virus was more likely to stick to type A cells, specifically the type of blood cells found in the lining of the respiratory system. The virus showed no preference for cells of other blood types or respiratory cells of blood groups B or O, as reported by Live Science. The study authors believe that their results may help explain why some people are more susceptible to COVID. “It’s interesting that viral RBD really prefers only the type of blood group A antigens that are in the respiratory cells, which are probably the way the virus is entering most patients and infecting them,” said Sean Stowell, MD, one of the study authors. Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston said in a statement. Unfortunately, this can be a COVID risk factor that cannot be controlled. The study authors pointed out that, unlike other potentially high-risk conditions, nothing can be done to decrease the risk created by our genetic makeup. “Blood type is a challenge because it is inherited and not something that we can change,” said Stowell. “But if we can better understand how the virus interacts with blood groups in people, we can find new drugs or methods of prevention,” he added. The study authors said the findings also raised more questions that deserve further examination. “Does it really influence the ability of the virus to enter cells? Does it only influence its ability to adhere to cells? This is undetermined,” said Stowell. “We are working on it now, but the jury has not yet decided.” And to learn more about how you can help improve your chances, check out these 3 vitamins can save you from serious COVID, study found. Previous research has shown that people with type A blood are also more susceptible to severe cases of COVID. Recent research is far from the only study to consider different blood types and how they present different risks for COVID. Other studies have recently found that blood type can affect susceptibility to COVID. In December, researchers at the GenOMICC Consortium, an international association of scientists studying the connections between serious illnesses and genes, compared the genes of more than 2,000 patients with COVID-19 in the United Kingdom with those of healthy people, reports The Washington Post. Research by the same team, published in the journal Nature in October, found that those with type A blood were more likely to develop serious illnesses when infected with the new coronavirus. “Blood group A was associated with a greater risk than blood groups non-A,” wrote the authors. And for more COVID news delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter. Type O blood has been associated with a reduced risk of COVID. On the other hand, a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in November found that your risk of getting COVID-19 is reduced if you have type O blood. The researchers behind the study at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, Canada, examined the results of the COVID-19 test of 225,556 Canadians between January 15 and June 30. They also looked at the likelihood of a patient contracting the virus. as the likelihood of getting seriously ill or dying as a result. They found that people with type O blood were 12 percent less likely to get COVID-19 and their risk of severe COVID-19 or death was 13 percent less compared to those with blood types A, AB or B groups – A, AB, B and O – can also be Rh-positive or Rh-negative. When the researchers looked at this second classification, they found that those with Rh negative blood are also “somewhat protected” from the virus. “Rh status seemed protective against SARS-CoV-2 infection,” wrote the study authors. In addition, “Rh− had a lower [adjusted relative risk] COVID-19 disease or death. “And if you are O-negative, which is very rare, you can be even more protected against COVID.” The Rh blood type was protective against SARS-CoV-2 infection, especially for those who were O-negative, “the authors wrote. According to Reuters, the study’s co-author, Joel Ray, MD, of the St. Michael’s Hospital, suggested that people with these more resistant blood types may already have developed antibodies that can recognize certain aspects of COVID-19 and are therefore better prepared to fight it. you could potentially stay safe, see This common medication can save you from severe COVID, New Study Says.