Distribution of ABO and rh blood group in myeloproliferative diseases

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the distribution of ABO and Rh blood group in myeloproliferative disease and if association, if any exists can be used as a preclinical marker for cancer development and risk; hence, we can modify other modifiable risks for myeloproliferative diseases (MPDs). Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study which included 252 cases who were diagnosed as a patient with lymphoid malignancies of any age group of both gender, 350 controls were taken as healthy people who have donated blood. Cases and controls were collected between January 1, 2016 and May 30, 2017. Blood group sampling of all cases and controls was performed. The obtained information regarding the presence or absence of myeloproliferative disorder, blood group type, age group, and type of myeloproliferative disorder analyzed, the statistical analysis was performed using SPSS for windows version 16.0 software. The findings were present in number and percentage analyzed using frequency, percentage, and Chi-squared test. Results: Of 266 cases of MPDs, majority of cases were of blood Group B (35.34%), followed by O (27.81%), A (26.69%), and AB (10.16%). Majority of cases were Rh positive (85.33%). Of 266 cases of MPDs, the most common was chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) (53.38%), polycythemia vera (16.55%), essential thrombocytosis (15.78%), primary myelofibrosis (11.28%), mastocytosis (1.5%), chronic neutrophil leukemia (1.13%), and the least common chronic eosinophilia leukemia (0.38%). In CML, primary myelofibrosis, mastocytosis, chronic neutrophilic leukemia, and chronic eosinophilic leukemia blood Group B was the most common, while blood Group O was more common in polycythemia vera and essential thrombocytosis. In control group, the most common blood group was O (36%), followed by B (32.67%), A (21.33%), and AB (10%), respectively. Majority of control groups (94.33%) were Rh positive and (5.67%) were Rh negative. Conclusions: The present study revealed that there are significant associations between ABO blood group and patients with MPDs. Male gender and blood group B and Rh factor positive are more prone for the development of myeloproliferative disorder. These findings also raise the possibility of using blood groups as an epidemiological marker for identifying population subgroups who are at high risk of these MPDs.