On March 18, an article entitled " People with blood type A more prone to coronavirus, study finds" aroused widespread concern. However, some experts disagree.
People with blood type A more prone to coronavirus, study finds
The research from 8 units including Southern University of Science and Technology, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Wuhan Zhongnan Hospital, Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital, etc. shows that there is a correlation between A, B, O, and AB blood types and susceptibility to new coronavirus pneumonia. This is also the first study in this field.
The study believes that type O blood is relatively less susceptible to new coronavirus pneumonia and has a lower risk; type A blood is relatively susceptible to new coronavirus pneumonia and has a higher risk.
The research paper "Relationship between the ABO Blood Group and the COVID-19 Susceptibility" was published on the preprinted platform medRxiv on March 17, local time, and has not yet been peer reviewed.
"This study is mainly based on the results of clinical epidemiological statistics. Whether it is scientific or not requires larger-scale investigations, especially the research on the natural antiviral mechanism of related blood type O populations, to be confirmed." Southern Medical University Zhao Wei, director of the tertiary biosafety laboratory, told Science and Technology Daily.
Zhao Wei said that the new coronavirus currently mainly infects the respiratory system, with relatively low levels of viremia and a relatively short duration.
To what extent the blood type can affect the progress of the disease, more detailed research is needed to clarify the significance for prevention and treatment.
Zhao Wei explained:
"A blood type is generally referred to as an ABO blood type, and blood is divided into four blood types based on the presence of antigen A and antigen B on the red blood cell membrane.
Human serum of different blood types contains different antibodies, but does not contain antibodies against self-erythrocyte antigens. If blood type A contains anti-B antibodies, blood type B contains anti-A antibodies.
The red blood cells themselves lose the ability to divide and do not contain the nucleic acid and protein synthesis systems required for the virus's replication process, so they are not susceptible to viruses. "
Xing Huichun, director of the Liver Disease Center of Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University also believes that to determine whether different blood types (here, the ABO blood group system) are susceptible to a disease, they must be exposed to the same infection, that is, they are also exposed to infection. source.
In addition, the time of exposure is the same, and there are no antibodies or other protective measures against the disease, so that the difference can be obtained by comparison.
Such as HIV, when the virus invades the human body, it must have a chemokine receptor for CCR5. If the receptor is lacking, the virus cannot be infected.
"Is the phenomenon currently reported incidental or really relevant? Further research is needed to confirm it." Xing Huichun emphasized that more data and research evidence are needed to confirm it.
In the report, researchers also found that hospital staff of blood group O were less likely to be infected than hospital staff of non-blood group O.
In response to this, Zhao Wei said that anti-A antibodies are mainly discussed in terms of blood group-related mechanisms.
However, there are anti-A antibodies in both blood types B and O. What is the reason for the difference in susceptibility between the two blood types? There is no anti-A antibody in blood type A and blood type AB. What is the reason for the difference in susceptibility between the two? Both need further research.
For example, you can further carry out differences in blood virus levels in viremia during different blood groups, conduct research on possible infection of blood cells, or conduct anti-A antibody inhibition experiments on new coronavirus infections to directly answer the above questions.
Zhao Wei believes that this research is still an early research result, it is impossible to draw a positive conclusion, and it is difficult to scientifically evaluate the impact on prevention and control.
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