Ascending aorta aneurysm and blood group A among Iranian patients

Ascending aortic aneurysm is a life threatening conditions leading to surgery in many cases. Demonstrating risk factors for this disease is essential for development of screening strategies for high-risk populations. Blood group although described as a potential risk factor for abdominal aortic aneurysm, has not been addressed in patients with aneurysm of the ascending aorta.

Our study aimed to demonstrate the prevalence of ABO blood groups among one of the largest Iranian population with diagnosed aneurysm of the ascending aorta.

A retrospective study was conducted in Tehran Heart Center in Tehran, Iran reviewing profile of 24,433 patients admitted to the cardiac surgery ward between January 2005 and February 2012 to extract data of 96 patients with confirmed diagnosis of ascending aortic aneurysm (AAA). Frequency of blood groups was determined and risk factors and AAA-related complications and mortality were compared between different blood groups.

Of ninety six patients with AAA, 38 patients (39.58%) had blood group A, followed by 16 patients with blood group B (16.66%), 12 blood group AB (12.5%), and 30 patients (30.25%) with blood group O. Cerebrovascular accident (CVA), peripheral vascular disease (PVD), and AAA-related mortality were more frequent in patients with blood group A. However, it did not reveal statistically significant difference (p>0.05).

Our study showed that risk factors for developing vascular disease are more prevalent in patients with blood group A and this blood group is associated with higher complication and mortality in AAA.