Prevalence of ABO and Rh Blood Groups and their Association with Demographic and Anthropometric Factors in a Population from Mashhad in Northeastern Iran

Abstract

Objective: It is well known that ABO and Rh (Rhesus) blood groups vary with region and ethnicity, and this may also change temporarily. The ABO blood group appears to be a marker for various human diseases and also it has been suggested that it is associated with certain personality characteristics. We aimed to investigate the frequency of ABO and Rh blood groups and their relationship with some demographic characteristics and anthropometric parameters. Methods: ABO and Rh blood groups were determined among 7268 participants from the MASHAD cohort study and their relationship to some demographic, lifestyle characteristics and anthropometric parameters were evaluated. Results: The most common blood group was O (n=2457, 33.7%) followed by A (n=2196, 30.2%), B (n=2016, 27.7%) and AB (n=599, 8.2%). The prevalence of Rh positive and Rh negative subjects was 88.2% and 11.8%, respectively. There were no significant associations between ABO blood groups and demographic and anthropometric characteristics, apart from demi-span (half the distance between their hands outstretched to either side in cm) which was significantly associated with ABO blood groups (p=0.03) even after correction for multiple comparisons. Conclusion: Blood group may be associated with some anthropometric indices such as demi-span, although the reason for this association is still unclear.