Abstract
ABO and Rh (rhesus) blood grouping is one of the most widely available laboratory tests that could prevent possibly deadly mismatches following blood transfusion and organ transplantation. The distribution of the blood group antigens varies between different populations and ethnic groups. Our objective was to showcase these variations within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and to outline the relationship between blood type and disease risk association to determine the current findings and outline possible future study areas. In healthy blood donors, blood group O was found to consistently be the most prevalent blood group and AB the least prevalent blood group except in Turkey where A is the most prevalent and, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where B is the least prevalent blood type.
Highlights
According to the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT), there are 33 blood group systems that represent more than 30 antigens as of date [1, 2]
ABO blood groups have been statistically associated with many diseases including diabetes, venous thromboembolism, ovarian cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer and other gastrointestinal cancers [15, 18,19,20,21,22]
A study done in Qatar revealed that Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) patients are significantly more likely to be of blood type B as compared to healthy individuals (25.7% vs. 20.4%; P < 0.001)
Summary
Data Availability Statement: All relevant data are within the paper and supplementary materials. The distribution of the ABO and RH blood groups among different populations in the MENA region: A review
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
