ABO Blood Groups and Nasopharyngeal Antigen Positivity for COVID-19: A Retrospective Analysis of 1,779 Patients

Herni Suprapti; Ilham Rahmanto; Budi Arif Waskito; Ratu Diva Nuralifia Yusuf; Januar Rizky Kusuma Putra; Muhammad Andika Rifqi

doi:10.30742/jikw.v15i2.5279

Authors

Herni Suprapti Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Wijaya Kusuma Surabaya, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9172-7317
Ilham Rahmanto Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0916-5824
Budi Arif Waskito Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Wijaya Kusuma Surabaya, Indonesia
Ratu Diva Nuralifia Yusuf Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3074-3502
Januar Rizky Kusuma Putra Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4127-4510
Muhammad Andika Rifqi Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0009-0009-6688-0710

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30742/jikw.v15i2.5279

Abstract

Background: Blood groups have been linked to immune responses against various infections, including the severity of COVID-19. However, studies assessing susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection based on ABO blood groups using nasopharyngeal antigen testing remain limited. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the association between ABO blood types and COVID-19 antigen positivity. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 1,779 patients who underwent ABO blood typing and rapid antigen testing at a clinical laboratory in Surabaya, Indonesia, from June to September 2020. Result: Among all participants, 266 (14.95%) tested positive and 1,513 (85.05%) tested negative. A significant association was found between blood groups and antigen positivity (p=0.021). Blood group A had a higher likelihood of positivity (OR 1.36; 95% CI 1.00–1.85; p=0.046), whereas blood group O showed a protective association (OR 0.66; 95% CI 0.51–0.86; p=0.002). Age group analysis indicated that pre-elderly patients (45–59 years) had almost twice the odds of positivity compared to adults (OR 1.99; 95% CI 1.51–2.63; p<0.001). Conclusion: ABO blood typing, particularly when combined with age, may provide supportive information for COVID-19 risk-based screening.

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