ABO and Rh blood groups, demographics, and comorbidities in COVID-19 related deaths: A retrospective study in Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia.

BACKGROUND: Blood group phenotypes have been associated with COVID-19 susceptibility and severity. This study aimed to examine ABO/Rh blood group distribution in COVID-19-related deaths considering demographics and pathological conditions. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study at the University Hospital Center Split, Croatia, that included 245 COVID-19 positive individuals that died from April 8, 2020, to January 25, 2021. We extracted data on their blood groups, demographics, and pre-existing comorbidities and compared findings with general population data from blood group donations (n = 101,357) and non-COVID-19 deaths from 2019 (n = 4968). RESULTS: The proportion of dead males was significantly higher than in non-COVID-19 cases (63.7% vs. 48.9%, P < 0.001), while the proportion of older individuals did not differ. The prevailing pre-existing diseases were hypertension (59.6%), diabetes (37.1%), heart failure (28.8%), digestive disorder (26.5%), and solid tumor (21.6%). The ABO distribution in the deceased and donors' group showed significant differences, with the higher prevalence of A/AB group and lower prevalence of 0, but with individual differences significant only for AB and non-AB groups. There was a reduced proportion of females within the deceased with group 0 (P = 0.014) and a higher proportion of AB individuals with coronary heart disease (P = 0.024). CONCLUSION: The study confirmed a higher risk of death in males. The lower proportion of type 0 in deceased individuals was greater in females, implying that group 0 is not necessarily an independent protective factor. Coronary heart disease was identified as a potential risk factor for AB individuals.

Role of Lung Ultrasound in Predicting Clinical Severity and Fatality in COVID-19 Pneumonia.

BACKGROUND: Lung ultrasound (LUS) is a useful imaging method for identifying COVID-19 pneumonia. The aim of this study was to explore the role of LUS in predicting the severity of the disease and fatality in patients with COVID-19. METHODS: This was a single-center, follow-up study, conducted from 1 November 2020, to 22 March 2021. The LUS protocol was based on the assessment of 14 lung zones with a total score up to 42, which was compared to the disease severity and fatality. RESULTS: A total of 133 patients with COVID-19 pneumonia confirmed by RT-PCR were enrolled, with a median time from hospital admission to lung ultrasound of one day. The LUS score was correlated with clinical severity at hospital admission (Spearman's rho 0.40, 95% CI 0.24 to 0.53, p < 0.001). Patients with higher LUS scores were experiencing greater disease severity; a high flow nasal cannula had an odds ratio of 1.43 (5% CI 1.17-1.74) in patients with LUS score > 29; the same score also predicted the need for mechanical ventilation (1.25, [1.07-1.48]). An LUS score > 30 (1.41 [1.18-1.68]) and age over 68 (1.26 [1.11-1.43]) were significant predictors of fatality. CONCLUSIONS: LUS at hospital admission is shown to have a high predictive power of the severity and fatality of COVID-19 pneumonia.