COVID‐19 and the ABO blood group in pregnancy: A tale of two multiethnic cities

Dear Editor, Coronavirus disease 2019 also known as COVID‐19 (caused by the new coronavirus known as SARS‐CoV‐2) has established itself as a global pandemic with significant debilitating effects primarily targeting the respiratory system.1 COVID‐19 pneumonia is characterized by a general inflammatio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International Journal of Laboratory Hematology 2021-02, Vol.43 (1), p.e45-e47
Main Authors: Ahmed, Irshad, Quinn, Lauren, Tan, Bee K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ABO blood group
ABO Blood-Group System
ABO system
African Continental Ancestry Group - ethnology
Asian Continental Ancestry Group - ethnology
Cities
COVID-19
COVID-19 - blood
COVID-19 - ethnology
COVID-19 - virology
European Continental Ancestry Group - ethnology
Female
Humans
Letter to the Editor
Letters to the Editor
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - blood
Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - ethnology
Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - virology
SARS-CoV-2 - isolation & purification
SARS-CoV-2 - physiology
United Kingdom
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Summary:Dear Editor, Coronavirus disease 2019 also known as COVID‐19 (caused by the new coronavirus known as SARS‐CoV‐2) has established itself as a global pandemic with significant debilitating effects primarily targeting the respiratory system.1 COVID‐19 pneumonia is characterized by a general inflammation in endothelial cells affecting multiple organ systems predisposing to vascular thrombosis.1 Age and obesity are the biggest COVID‐19 risk factors.2 There is also accumulating evidence that Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups in the UK are at increased risk of complications from COVID‐19.3 Pregnancy further increases the risks of COVID‐19 complications particularly thrombotic complications.4 The ABO blood group system was established by Karl Landsteiner, who classified blood groups according to the existence of A and B antigens on the surface of red blood cells.5 An individual with A antigen has blood group A; B antigen blood group B; A and B antigens blood group AB, whilst individuals with blood group O have neither antigen. Blood group A individuals have antibodies against B antigen (anti‐B); blood group B have anti‐A; blood group AB have neither anti‐A nor anti‐B, and blood group O have both anti‐A and anti‐B antibodies. Since the discovery of the ABO blood group system, numerous studies have been undertaken to study the link between the ABO blood group system and diseases.5 It had been identified that there is an association between ABO blood group and the risk of developing the severe acute respiratory syndrome (also known as SARS caused by SARS‐CoV‐1 infection) and the severity of associated complictions.6 Consequently, we looked at the relative frequency of blood groups A, B, AB and O in pregnancy in two multiethnic UK cities (Leicester and Birmingham). First COVID‐19 maternal mortality in the UK associated with thrombotic complications.
ISSN:1751-5521
1751-553X
DOI:10.1111/ijlh.13355