Association of ABO blood groups and non-culprit plaque characteristics in acute coronary syndrome: an optical coherence tomography study

Abstract

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) poses a serious threat to human health. Research shows that ABO blood groups, especially non-O blood types, are closely related to the incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). This study aimed to determine the associations of blood types with non-culprit coronary plaque characteristics using optical coherence tomography (OCT).Methods: A total of 257 acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients (average age, 59.39±10.08 years, 80% male) who underwent OCT of 3 vessels were identified. Subjects were divided into 2 groups: the O blood group (71 patients with 121 plaques) and the non-O group (186 patients with 329 plaques). The non-culprit coronary plaque features of the two groups were compared using OCT. Results:The non-type O group had larger lipid arcs, thinner fibrous caps, and a greater number of thincap fibro atheromas (TCFAs). The type A, B, and AB blood groups had larger lipid arcs than the type O blood group, as well as thinner fibrous caps and more TCFAs. The type A blood group had thinner fibrous caps and a greater number of TCFAs than the type B and AB blood groups.Conclusions: ACS patients with type non-O blood had more non-culprit plaques. Patients with type A blood, in particular, had more vulnerable characteristics than those with type O blood.

The Association Between ABO Blood Group and Preeclampsia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…ABO blood group antigens exist on many kinds of cells of the human body; in addition to common red blood cells, these antigens are also expressed on vascular endothelial cells and neuronal cells ( 39 ). Existing studies found that ABO blood group status is correlated with many diseases, such as CVD, ARDS, GDM, and PE ( 16 – 18 , 27 , 28 ). Nevertheless, the association between PE and ABO blood group has been controversial.…”

“…It includes types A, B, AB, and O, which are defined according to the expression of agglutinins A and B ( 14 ). In recent years, an increasing number of studies on ABO blood groups have been conducted, and blood group has been reported to be associated with the development of many human diseases, such as thrombotic vascular diseases ( 15 ), gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) ( 16 ), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) ( 17 ), cardiovascular disease (CVD) ( 18 ), gastric cancer ( 19 ), infectious diseases ( 20 ), and PE ( 21 ). Although, the ABO system has been studied for more than a century, its clinical biological significance remains ambiguous.…”