ABO and Rhesus Blood Groups Have No Significant Impact on COVID-19 Severity or Mortality in Senegal: Evidence from 295 Patients

ABO and Rhesus blood groups have been associated with COVID-19 susceptibility and severity in several international cohorts, but African data remain scarce his study evaluates the association between ABO/Rh blood groups and COVID-19 severity and mortality in Senegal. We conducted a retrospective study of RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19 patients with available blood group data. Clinical severity (severe forms: Severe and Critical) and in-hospital mortality were analyzed by ABO group and Rhesus status using Fisher’s exact test with Bonferroni correction (×4 for ABO groups) and global Chi-square. Odds Ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (Woolf method) were calculated. ABO distribution: O (47.8%), A (28.8%), B (16.9%), AB (6.4%); Rh+ 94.2%. Severe forms accounted for 27.1% and deaths for 10.2%. No statistically significant association was found between ABO/Rh and severe disease (Chi²=2.40; p=0.494) or mortality (Chi²=1.00; p=0.802). All ORs remained* non-significant after Bonferroni correction. A non-significant trend toward higher mortality in group B (14.0% vs 9.4%; OR=1.57; p=0.312) and zero deaths among Rh− patients (0/17) warrant cautious interpretation. ABO and Rhesus blood groups have no significant impact on COVID-19 severity or mortality in this Senegalese cohort, suggesting that the role of blood groups in COVID-19 outcomes may vary across population.