Evaluation of blood group diversity and Rhesus factor with blood virus infection: A cohort of HCV, HBV, and COVID-19 Egyptian patients

Abdelnaby, M. A.; El-Adly, Ahmed M.; Afifi, M. M.

doi:10.21608/jbaar.2024.362505

Evaluation of blood group diversity and Rhesus factor with blood virus infection: A cohort of HCV, HBV, and COVID-19 Egyptian patients

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Department of Botany and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Assiut 71524, Egypt

² Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, 71524Assiut Branch, Egypt

10.21608/jbaar.2024.362505

Abstract

Blood groups and Rhesus factor have been discovered to be connected to the risk of several viral diseases. This study examined the relationship between blood group diversity, the Rhesus factor, and blood virus infection and the impact of viral infections on patients from April 2021 and December 2022. This was a study conducted in the governorate of Assiut. All blood samples were tested for HBV, HCV, and COVID-19 infections. To detect blood type, forward and reverse blood grouping were utilized. The results were run via the SPSS program to establish the statistical difference between the values in different categories. In all, 1250 serum samples were obtained from people visiting Assiut governorate hospitals, blood banks, and health centers. Out of 1250 blood samples, 115 people tested positive for HBV, HCV, and COVID-19, 65 (5.2%) were positive for COVID-19, 14 (1.12%) were positive for HBV, and 36 (2.88%) were positive for HCV. The occurrence of B+ blood type was more frequent among individuals with COVID-19, whereas individuals with HBV and HCV infections exhibited a higher prevalence of A+ and O+ blood types, and the results revealed statistically significant differences in the extent of the impact of infection between the positive and negative groups of viruses. Rh-positive was significantly increased in infection with all tested viruses. Fatigue, cough, and dysphagia were the most prevalent symptoms in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. We advise that future research on the association between blood groups and blood-borne viruses be performed with solid evidence and large sample sizes.

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