Helicobacter pylori Infection and the ABO/Rh blood group system: A study of the MASHAD Cohort population

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is associated with numerous gastrointestinal disorders and is more prevalent in developing countries, where public health infrastructure and sanitation may be limited. There has been no consistently reported link between ABO blood groups and the risk of H. pylori infection. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between ABO blood groups and H. pylori infection in a population from northeastern Iran.

The study was undertaken using data from the MASHAD cohort study and comprised a total of 793 participants, including 685 H. pylori-infected individuals and 108 seronegative individuals. The ABO and Rh blood group and H. pylori status data were compared by the chi-square test.

There were 346 males and 447 females with a mean age of 46.63 ± 8.05 years. No significant association was detected between H. pylori infection and ABO blood group or Rh status. Using blood group O as the reference, adjusted ORs were 0.91 (95% CI: 0.54-1.52) for group A, 0.99 (95% CI: 0.57-1.72) for group B, and 1.27 (95% CI: 0.55-2.93) for group AB; the adjusted OR for Rh-negative status was 0.86 (95% CI: 0.34-2.13) (all P > 0.05).

In this northeastern Iranian population, ABO and Rh blood groups were not associated with H. pylori serostatus. As this study was conducted in a single geographic and ethnic population, these findings may not generalize to populations with different genetic, environmental, or H. pylori strain profiles.