The Correlation between Melasma and ABO Blood Type

Abstract

Aim: Melasma is an acquired hyperpigmentation characterized by irregular brown macules and patches, especially on sun-exposed areas of the face. Although genetic predisposition, ultraviolet radiation and female sex hormones have been reported as the main causes, inflammatory processes were also considered to play a role in melasma. Genetic factors such as blood type antigens could affect the severity, risk, and development of certain medical conditions. Since the genes that encode blood types were associated with inflammation, blood type could play a role in the etiology of melasma, an inflammatory and genetically inherited disease. The present study aimed to investigate the correlation between melasma and ABO/Rh blood types, which has never been investigated before.
 Material and Methods: The study was conducted with 100 melasma patients and 1000 healthy individuals. The patient and healthy control blood types and Rh factor data were collected from the hospital automation system retrospectively.
 Results: The rate of female patients was significantly higher in the patient group (p