Frequency of ABO and Rh Blood Groups in Patients with Celiac Disease and Its Relationship with Disease Severity

Abstract

Background and Objective: As an autoimmune disease, celiac is often caused by the environmental factor of gluten and the genetic factor of HLA. Considering the immunological role of blood groups, this study was designed to evaluate the distribution of ABO and Rh blood groups in patients with celiac disease in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, all 199 cases recorded in the registry system of celiac patients of West Azerbaijan Province between 2015 and 2021 were included in the study. Demographic variables, disease duration, blood group, disease status, and disease complications were extracted from the electronic file of patients. According to the severity of the disease, the patients were classified into three groups: mild (no symptoms), moderate (subclinical) and severe (classic celiac symptoms). Findings: In this study, 125 patients (62.8%) were women and the mean age of the patients was 37.15±15.65 years. 71 people (35.7%) had blood type O and 171 people (58.9%) had Rh+. Patients with blood type O and A most commonly suffered from mild (80.8%) and moderate (50.9%) types of disease, respectively (p<0.001). There was no significant difference between the severity of the disease and blood groups and Rh positive and Rh negative. Conclusion: According to the results of the present study, blood group O is the most frequent among celiac patients. In addition, the severity of the disease in people with blood group O is less than other blood groups.

Keywords

• celiac disease
• abo and rh blood groups
• disease registration system.