title: Blood group AB is protective factor for gestational diabetes mellitus: a prospective population-based study in Tianjin, China.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The ABO blood types are associated with cancers, cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes mellitus but whether they are also associated with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is unknown. We examined the relationship between the ABO blood types and the risk of GDM in a prospective population-based Chinese cohort.
  
  
  METHODS
  From 2010 to 2012, we recruited 14,198 pregnant women within the first 12 weeks of gestation in Tianjin, China. All women had a glucose challenge test (GCT) at 24-28 gestational weeks, followed by a 75-g 2-h oral glucose tolerance test if the results from GCT were ≥7.8 mmol/L. GDM was diagnosed based on the glucose cut-points of the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Group criteria. Logistic regression was used to obtain odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) adjusted for traditional risk factors. Stratified analysis was performed by family history of diabetes (yes versus no). Sensitivity analyses were also performed by using the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria for GDM.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Women with blood groups A, B or O (i.e. non-AB) were associated with increased risk of GDM as compared with those with blood group AB (adjusted OR: 1.44, 95% CI: 1.13-1.83). Sensitivity analyses showed that the result was consistent using WHO criteria. The adjusted OR of blood group non-AB versus AB for GDM was enhanced among women with a family history of diabetes (2.69, 1.21-5.96) and attenuated among those without (1.33, 1.03-1.71).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Blood group AB was a protective factor against GDM in pregnant Chinese women.
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Women and Children's Health Centre, Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Cuiping
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Women and Children's Health Centre, Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Women and Children's Health Centre, Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Leishen
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Women and Children's Health Centre, Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Shurong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Women and Children's Health Centre, Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Gongshu
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.|Tianjin Women and Children's Health Centre, Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Junhong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Leng
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Women and Children's Health Centre, Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Women and Children's Health Centre, Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.affiliation: Research Center of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Weidong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Cuilin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Chronic Disease Epidemiology Laboratory, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Population Cancer Research Program and Department of Pediatrics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada.
authors.forename: Zhijie
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Xilin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000017:ABO Blood-Group System / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016640:Diabetes, Gestational / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D005646:Fucosyl Galactose alpha-N-Acetylgalactosaminyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism*; D006031:Glycosylation; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D050177:Overweight / Q000150:complications; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014944:World Health Organization
chemical_list: D000017:ABO Blood-Group System; D005646:Fucosyl Galactose alpha-N-Acetylgalactosaminyltransferase
keywords: ABO blood type; Chinese; Tianjin; gestational diabetes mellitus