<p>For over 18 months, blood banks across Bengaluru have seen a downward spiral in donors — a situation unchanged by Covid-19’s pullback. The shortfall could be linked to the severity of Covid-19 infections among people with certain blood groups. </p>.<p>Several blood collecting organisations, including the Rotary Blood Bank, the Indian Red Cross Society and Bengaluru Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI) said donations had dipped to one-third of what was being collected in 2019. </p>.<p>The decline was linked to closed colleges and work spaces but also public hesitancy stemming from past infections (and post-Covid complications), plus the ongoing vaccination drive, according to one official.</p>.<p>While the state government has not been tabulating Covid-19 cases by blood group, a pandemic expert in the state pointed to studies conducted in China, Australia and the United States which offer mixed evidence that the people could develop a more severe form of Covid-19 based on which type of blood they have.</p>.<p>According to Dr Soumee Banerjee of the Indian Red Cross Society, Bengaluru’s population is largely made up of people with Type O blood. Next follow people with Type B blood, then Type A and lastly Type AB. How do these blood groups fare when it comes to severity of infection?</p>.<p>In June 2020, scientists from Europe and Australia who were examining genome data from 1,610 patients with severe Covid-19 and 2,205 healthy blood donors found that gene variants in two regions of the human genome were associated with severe Covid-19.</p>.<p>It happens that one of those stretches of DNA carry the gene that determines blood type. </p>.<p>Compared with people with other blood types, those with type A had a 45 per cent higher risk of developing severe Covid-19 if infected, whereas those with type O had a 35 per cent lower risk.</p>.<p>Additional research in the United States found that people who were Rh positive were more likely to test positive than people who were Rh negative, and those with B or AB blood were more likely to test positive than those with type O blood, according to a report published in September 2020 in The Journal of the American Medical Association.</p>.<p class="CrossHead"><strong>Donation decline</strong></p>.<p>“Of course, earlier non-Covid studies have shown that certain blood groups are more susceptible to certain infections,” explained Dr R Sreelatha, head of ImmunoHematology and Blood Transfusion at Victoria Hospital. “For example, people with Type A blood are more susceptible to developing gastric ulcers and cancer. Type O individuals are genetically susceptible to other health problems.”</p>.<p>“At the same time, we have no localised data to show whether the severity of infection is being dictated in part by a blood group,” added Dr D Jairaj, Deputy Director (Blood Safety). “For whatever reason we have seen an overall decline in all donations in all eight blood groups,” he said.</p>.<p>The decline is felt acutely at BMCRI. “Before the pandemic, we were getting about 1,500 units of blood a month. Last month, we got 92 units -- only because many of our students volunteered to give blood,” Dr Sreelatha said.</p>.<p>“People should come forward for donations. It takes less than seven minutes to donate,” she added.</p>.<p><strong>Check out latest DH videos here</strong></p>
<p>For over 18 months, blood banks across Bengaluru have seen a downward spiral in donors — a situation unchanged by Covid-19’s pullback. The shortfall could be linked to the severity of Covid-19 infections among people with certain blood groups. </p>.<p>Several blood collecting organisations, including the Rotary Blood Bank, the Indian Red Cross Society and Bengaluru Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI) said donations had dipped to one-third of what was being collected in 2019. </p>.<p>The decline was linked to closed colleges and work spaces but also public hesitancy stemming from past infections (and post-Covid complications), plus the ongoing vaccination drive, according to one official.</p>.<p>While the state government has not been tabulating Covid-19 cases by blood group, a pandemic expert in the state pointed to studies conducted in China, Australia and the United States which offer mixed evidence that the people could develop a more severe form of Covid-19 based on which type of blood they have.</p>.<p>According to Dr Soumee Banerjee of the Indian Red Cross Society, Bengaluru’s population is largely made up of people with Type O blood. Next follow people with Type B blood, then Type A and lastly Type AB. How do these blood groups fare when it comes to severity of infection?</p>.<p>In June 2020, scientists from Europe and Australia who were examining genome data from 1,610 patients with severe Covid-19 and 2,205 healthy blood donors found that gene variants in two regions of the human genome were associated with severe Covid-19.</p>.<p>It happens that one of those stretches of DNA carry the gene that determines blood type. </p>.<p>Compared with people with other blood types, those with type A had a 45 per cent higher risk of developing severe Covid-19 if infected, whereas those with type O had a 35 per cent lower risk.</p>.<p>Additional research in the United States found that people who were Rh positive were more likely to test positive than people who were Rh negative, and those with B or AB blood were more likely to test positive than those with type O blood, according to a report published in September 2020 in The Journal of the American Medical Association.</p>.<p class="CrossHead"><strong>Donation decline</strong></p>.<p>“Of course, earlier non-Covid studies have shown that certain blood groups are more susceptible to certain infections,” explained Dr R Sreelatha, head of ImmunoHematology and Blood Transfusion at Victoria Hospital. “For example, people with Type A blood are more susceptible to developing gastric ulcers and cancer. Type O individuals are genetically susceptible to other health problems.”</p>.<p>“At the same time, we have no localised data to show whether the severity of infection is being dictated in part by a blood group,” added Dr D Jairaj, Deputy Director (Blood Safety). “For whatever reason we have seen an overall decline in all donations in all eight blood groups,” he said.</p>.<p>The decline is felt acutely at BMCRI. “Before the pandemic, we were getting about 1,500 units of blood a month. Last month, we got 92 units -- only because many of our students volunteered to give blood,” Dr Sreelatha said.</p>.<p>“People should come forward for donations. It takes less than seven minutes to donate,” she added.</p>.<p><strong>Check out latest DH videos here</strong></p>
