--- title: "You May Be At Risk of Severe COVID If You Have This Blood Type" description: "According to a new study by European researchers, people with type A blood are at a much higher risk of developing severe COVID-19." date: "2020-06-19" modified: "2020-06-19" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/risk-severe-covid-19-blood-type" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "blood type" - "coronavirus" - "covid19" --- # You May Be At Risk of Severe COVID If You Have This Blood Type ![According to a new study by European researchers, people with type A blood are at a much higher risk of developing severe COVID-19.]() *\Image: U.S. Air Force/Cynthia Griggs\* According to a new study by European researchers, people with type A blood are at a much higher risk of developing severe COVID-19, suggesting there may be a way to explain which COVID-19 patients get far sicker than others, [*Reuters* reports](). It could also help health practitioners determine who is more at risk of developing a serious illness as a result of the coronavirus. The research could even point researchers towards developing more effective drug treatment plans. Out of 1,610 patients with respiratory failure from Italy and Spain — alongside a control group of 2,250 — the risk of developing severe COVID-19 was 45 percent higher for those with type A blood. For those with type O blood, the risk was 35 percent lower. [The study]() was published in *The New England Journal of Medicine* on Wednesday. "The findings \[...\] provide specific clues as to what disease processes may be going on in severe COVID-19," co-author Tom Karlsen, from Oslo University Hospital in Norway told *Reuters* in an email. If confirmed, this wouldn't be the first time the severity of a disease was linked to blood types. For instance, people with blood type O only rarely develop severe malaria symptoms, as German broadcaster [*Deutsche Welle* points out](). It's still far too early to draw any definitive conclusions, though. Scientists are racing at breakneck speeds to find treatment plans and a cure. No stone is being left unturned — but even researchers can end up stumbling on early findings. ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()