title: The association of ABO blood groups with extent of coronary atherosclerosis in Croatian patients suffering from chronic coronary artery disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of study was to: 1) examine the relationship between ABO blood groups and extent of coronary atherosclerosis in patients with chronic coronary artery disease (CAD), 2) compare ABO blood groups distribution in CAD patients and general population, 3) examine possible differences in traditional risk factors frequency in CAD patients with different ABO blood groups.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the 646 chronic CAD patients (72.4% males) coronary angiograms were scored by quantitative assessment using multiple angiographic scoring system, Traditional risk factors were self reported or measured by standard methods. ABO blood distribution of patients was compared with group of 651 healthy blood donors (74.6% males).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among all ABO blood group patients there was no significant difference between the extent of coronary atherosclerosis with regard to all the three scoring systems: number of affected coronary arteries (P = 0.857), Gensini score (P = 0.818), and number of segments narrowed > 50% (P = 0.781). There was no significant difference in ABO blood group distribution between CAD patients and healthy blood donors. Among CAD patients, men with blood group AB were significantly younger than their pairs with non-AB blood groups (P = 0.008). Among CAD patients with AB blood group, males < 50 yrs were significantly overrepresented when compared with the non-AB groups (P = 0.003).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  No association between ABO blood groups and the extent of coronary atherosclerosis in Croatian CAD patients is observed. Observation that AB blood group might possibly identify Croatian males at risk to develop the premature CAD has to be tested in larger cohort of patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Split University Hospital, Split, Croatia.
authors.forename: Svjetlana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Karabuva
authors.forename: Vedran
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Carević
authors.forename: Mislav
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Radić
authors.forename: Damir
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fabijanić
mesh_terms: D000017:ABO Blood-Group System; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D017523:Croatia / Q000453:epidemiology; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D000017:ABO Blood-Group System