Association between ABO Blood Groups and Severity of Dyspepsia in Gunungsitoli, Indonesia

Abstract

Background. Human blood groups may play a key role in various human diseases. An association has been found between ABO blood groups and both infectious and non-infectious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and other organs. Dyspepsia is one of the most common encountered gastrointestinal complaints. Aims. To investigate the association between ABO blood groups and severity of dyspepsia symptoms in a specific ethnic group. Study Design. Cross-sectional study. Methods. Consecutive adult Nias tribe dyspepsia outpatients in the General District Hospital, Gunungsitoli Nias,Indonesia, were interviewed using a structured questionnaire between May–June 2018. The severity of dyspepsia was assessed with the Porto Alegre Dyspeptic Symptoms Questionnaire (PADYQ) scoring instrument. ABO blood groups were determined by a standard direct agglutination test. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was performed in all participants. Data were statistically analyzed using statistical software. P value less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results. Of 66 patients, 54.5% were males, with median age of 47 years (range, 23–67). Majority of the participants had blood group O (48.5%). The most encountered dyspepsia symptom was epigastric pain (66.7%). Participants with blood group type B had significantly more severe dyspepsia symptoms based on total PADYQ score (p=0.017). Participants with blood group type O were more prone to epigastric pain (p=0.015), while blood group type B to bloating (p=0.01) and early satiation (p=0.02). Conclusion. In outpatients from the Nias tribe with dyspepsia, those with blood group type B had more severe dyspepsia symptoms.