Frequency of Blood Types in a Homogeneous Group of Manic-Depressive Patients

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of selected blood types in a homogeneously diagnosed group of manic-depressive patients as compared to the incidence of these blood types in a control group and in reported figures for the general population. This interest in the blood characteristics of manic-depressive subjects was stimulated by the finding of a relatively high incidence of active duodenal ulcer or medically and roentgenographically confirmed duodenal ulcer histories in manic-depressive patients (16 per cent.) (12) as contrasted with the reported incidence of duodenal ulcer in the general population (5-10 per cent.) (4). The specific association of duodenal ulcer with O-type blood has been reported by several investigators (1, 2). Although the reported relationships between blood type and specific disease entities have been critically questioned in a recent review, the reviewer concluded that the evidence “tends to suggest that a relationship between duodenal ulcer and group O blood actually exists” (10). The known and suspected relationships of blood types with various disease processes have been summarized by established investigators in the field of blood grouping and classification (14).