Risk and severity of COVID-19 and ABO blood group in transcatheter aortic valve patients

Background: Although cardiovascular disease has been associated with an increased risk of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), no studies have reported its clinical course in patients with aortic stenosis who had undergone transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Several observational studies have found an association between the A blood group and an increased susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection, whereas the O blood group appears to be protective. Objective: To investigate the frequency and clinical course of COVID-19 in a large sample of patients who had undergone TAVR and to determine the associations of the ABO blood group with disease occurrence and outcomes. Methods: Patients who had undergone TAVR between 2010 and 2019 were included in this study and followed-up through the recent COVID-19 outbreak. The main outcomes were the occurrence and severity (hospitalization and/or death) of COVID-19 and their association with the ABO blood group. Results: Of the 1125 patients who had undergone TAVR, 403 (36%) died before January 1, 2020, and 20 (1.8%) were lost to follow-up. The study sample therefore consisted of 702 patients. Among them, we identified 22 cases (3.1%) with COVID-19. Fourteen patients (63.6%) were hospitalized or died of disease. Multivariate analysis identified the A blood group (versus others) as the only independent predictor of COVID-19 in patients who had undergone TAVR (odds ratio [OR] = 6.32; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.11−18.92; p=0.001). The A blood group (versus others; OR = 8.27; 95% CI = 1.83−37.43, p=0.006) and a history of cancer (OR = 4.99; 95% CI = 1.64−15.27, p = 0.005) were significantly and independently associated with disease severity (hospitalization and/or death). Conclusions: Patients who had undergone TAVR are vulnerable to COVID-19. The subgroup with the A blood group was especially prone to develop the disease and showed unfavorable outcomes.