Is there a relation between osteoporosis and ABO/Rh blood group antigens?

Abstract

Introduction: ABO and Rhesus (Rh) blood group antigens play a role in the etiology of many diseases. The aim of this study is to determine their effects (the effects of these antigens) on the development of osteoporosis. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed all patients, who underwent kyphoplasty for osteoporotic vertebral corpus fractures between May 2014 and October 2019 in Balikesir University Hospital. Age, gender, fracture levels, T-scores, visual analog scale scores, oswestry disability index scores, and blood groups were taken from the hospital data system and recorded for each patient. The data of blood group distribution among the study patients were compared with the data of healthy individuals in the same region. Results: ABO blood groups results were not statistically significant in terms of the risk of developing osteoporotic vertebral fractures (OVFs). “Rh positive” blood type is associated with a high incidence of OVFs (91.5%) and the “Rh negative” blood group has the least association with OVFs (8.5%). Comparison of healthy controls with the OVF group revealed that Rh pos itive patients were at higher risk of OVF development. (p=0.026). Discussion and Conclusion: The findings of this study show that in addition to environmental and genetic factors, Rh blood antigen is also effective in the development of osteoporosis.