A person’s type of blood can vary depending on which proteins, so-called antigens, occupy the surface of the red blood cells. Two systems—ABO and RhD—are commonly used to define one’s, blood group.
The ABO system contains four main blood groups: A, B, AB, and O, each of which can be either RhD positive or RhD negative.
Identifying a person’s blood group is essential for the safe administration of blood transfusions. It has also been used to make inferences about the susceptibility of certain diseases.
In a study from Karolinska Institutet, scientists found links between certain blood groups and 49 diseases, including a finding that having blood group B seems to be a protective factor against kidney stones.
The team used data from more than five million people and over 1,000 diseases.
The finding confirms connections between certain blood groups and increased risk of blood clots, bleeding conditions or pregnancy-induced hypertension.
In the study, researchers scanned Swedish health registries with information on more than five million people and found 49 diseases that were linked to the ABO system, and one that was linked to the RhD system.
Their findings confirmed that people with blood group A were more likely to experience a blood clot and that those with blood group O were more likely to experience a bleeding disorder.
They also verified that women with blood group O were more likely to experience pregnancy-induced hypertension.
Additionally, they found a new connection between having blood group B and a lower risk of developing kidney stones. And women who were RhD-positive were more likely to experience pregnancy-induced hypertension.
The researchers say that more studies are needed to confirm the results and to determine how different blood types or groups may increase the risk of certain diseases, or whether there are alternative explanations for these relationships.
The findings highlight new links between conditions such as kidney stones and pregnancy-induced hypertension and blood type or group.
They lay the groundwork for future studies to identify the mechanisms behind disease development, or for finding new ways to identify and treat individuals with certain conditions.
If you care about blood type, please read studies about blood types that could cause severe COVID-19, and why people with blood Type O less likely to get COVID-19
For more information about health, please see recent studies about plant nutrient that could help reduce high blood pressure, and these antioxidants could help reduce dementia risk.
The study was conducted by Torsten Dahlén et al and published in eLife.
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