Is there a link between blood type and COVID-19? 23andMe plans to delve into it

Gene testing company 23andMe is about to conduct an in-depth study to explore whether an individual's genetic code is related to the likelihood of contracting COVID-19 and the severity of the infection.
with a view to further exploring the results of early research.
based on early data from 23andMe, the number of type O bloods that tested positive for COVID-19 appeared to be lower than expected compared to other blood types.
who test positive for the new coronavirus and have a specific variant of another gene are more likely to develop severe respiratory symptoms.
23andMe said the in-depth study would rely on a larger data set than earlier work, covering more different participants.
June, Dr. Tom H Karlsen of the University Hospital of Oslo, Norway, published an article in the New England Journal of Medicine exploring the genetic link between blood type and the severity of COVID-19.
he said 23andMe's work was expected to further clarify the implications of the Oslo University Hospital study data.
but outside experts warned that the study would not change treatment decisions.
, a pediatrician and epidemiologist at NYU Langone Medical Center at New York University, said it was an interesting finding, but no medical decisions could be made on that basis.
's study, which covered only patients with severe symptoms of COVID-19, and the 23andMe study, which covered both mild and severe cases.
makes it possible for the 23andMe study to draw stronger conclusions.
, Dr. Karlsen's research, was conducted only in Spain and Italy.
, the participants in the 23andMe study were more diverse.
, the demographics of the 23andMe study are still not sufficient to fully reflect the demographic composition of the United States.
23andMe study, Hispanic participants were just over 11 percent and African-Americans less than 3 percent.
, Hispanics make up 16 percent of the U.S. population, and African-Americans make up about 13 percent.
Karlsen and 23andMe's team found that the genes that encode blood types appear to be related to positive for COVID-19.
part of chromosome 3 (known in both papers as chr3p21.31) appears to be related to the severity of the response to COVID-19 infection.
, lead author of the 23andMe paper, points out that genetic associations don't seem to explain all the differences between populations.
studies have shown that the SLC6A20 gene found in chromosome 3 region may be associated with poor outcomes in patients.
, however, it is not clear how specific genes can make meaningful changes in the response to infection.
23andMe and Dr. Karlsen's team have conducted genome-wide association studies.
this approach, trying to find similar patterns in the genetics of people with specific conditions, has great limitations.
method is most useful in analyzing the genomes of thousands of people.
for most scientists, getting so many samples is expensive and difficult.
but 23andMe has a clear advantage, with more than 12 million people sequencing, according to the company's website, and more than a million people agreeing to participate in the company's COVID-19 study.
Shelton, said the association was promisingly detected because of the large sample size involved.
but if it is not clear which genes are important and the reasons behind them are not known, the impact of the relevant genetic studies on the COVID-19 treatment plan will be limited.
"We have to find out why it's important to determine if it's related to clotting," he said.
will not target treatments or adjust risk categories unless the real cause is identified.
" References: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Health Equity Managements and Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups. Jul 24, 2020. Retrieved Sept 14, 2020 from Kate Sheridan. Early research from 23andMeds link between blood types and COVID-19. Sept 14, 2020. Retrieved Sept 15, 2002 from 23andMe. 23andMe COVID-19 Study Findings Published. Sept 9, 2020. Retrieved Sept 15, 2020 from David Ellinghaus, Frauke Degenhardt, Luis Bujanda, et al. Genomewide Association Study of Severe COVID-19 with Rev. Failure. N Engl J Med. 2020 Jun 17; NEJMoa2020283. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2020283. Follow Medicinal Mingkangde on WeChat Public No