A+ and AB+ blood groups are risk factors for coronary artery disease in Iranian men and women respectively

Abstract

The ABO blood group antigens, which represents genetic markers, are correlated with a number of diseases. However, the relationship between the ABO blood group system and coronary artery disease (CAD) is controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between ABO blood group system and CAD and its major risk factors. One thousand patients who underwent coronary angiography, were included. The study population comprised 590 males at a mean age of 56 ± 12 years and 410 females at a mean age of 59 ±13 years. There was no difference in the distribution of the ABO blood groups between the study subjects and the general population (healthy blood donors).Excluding gender, there was no association between the ABO blood groups and CAD while, there was a significant correlation between CAD and the AB+ blood group in the women (P=0.001) and the A+ blood group in the men (p=0.015).There was also a significant association between the absence of the Rhesus antigen (Rh-) and normal coronary arteries (p=0.008) . Apropos the risk factors, the prevalence of the current risk factors of CAD was similar among the subjects with different ABO blood groups.