Prevalence of Blood Groups and Their Association with Systemic Disease and ‎Anthropometry Indices in Tehran Population

To determine the distribution of blood types and their relationship with some anthropometric indices and systemic diseases in Tehran, Iran.

The present cross-sectional study was conducted in Tehran, Iran. The study population was people aged 60 years and above, and sampling was performed using the multi-stage stratified random cluster sampling method. A total of 160 clusters were randomly selected from 22 districts of Tehran. After selecting the samples and transferring them to the study site, examinations were performed. All study participants underwent anthropometric evaluation and blood sampling. Blood type determination was performed using Cinnagen antibodies (Cinnagen blood group detection kit, Sinohe Biotechnology Company, Iran). The Rh blood group was reported.

Blood type was determined for 2645 of 3310 study participants. Of these, 1661 (62.8%) were female and the mean age was 68.1±6.5 (range: 60 to 95) years. The prevalence of blood groups A, B, AB, and O was 30.4%, 24.9%, 6.9%, and 37.8%, respectively. Moreover, 89.3% of the subjects were Rh+. Participants with blood type B+ had higher body mass index and waist-to-height than other people (P=0.010). Blood group O- had the lowest prevalence of diabetes (P=0.039), while blood groups A and B had the highest prevalence of diabetes. The highest prevalence of hypertension (P=0.034) was observed in participants with O- blood type.

O and A were the most common blood types in the present study. Some cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity and diabetes were significantly more prevalent in people with blood types A and B. Hypertension also had a significant relationship with blood type O. Paying attention to these findings can play a role in preventing cardiovascular diseases in people.