title: Are the blood groups of women with preeclampsia a risk factor for the development of hypertension postpartum?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Preeclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy-related disorder characterized by hypertension (HT) and proteinuria noticeable after 20 weeks of gestation. PE is now considered as a cardiovascular disease risk factor and a number of studies have shown that experiencing PE increases the prevalence of various cardiovascular risk factors, such as metabolic syndrome and HT. In this study, we aimed to investigate any possible relationship between the ABO/Rh blood group system and PE in Turkey. In the second part of the study, we examined the relationship between the ABO blood group system and development of HT after PE.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 250 patients with PE from Kayseri Training and Research Hospital between 2002 and 2012 were included in the study. Patients were classified according to blood groups (A, B, AB, and O) and Rh status (+/-).
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a significant difference between the patients with PE and the control group in terms of distribution of ABO blood groups and the percentage of group AB was found to be higher in patients with PE compared to the control group (P=0.029). The risk of developing PE was significantly higher in group AB than other blood groups (P=0.006). The risk of developing HT after PE was significantly higher in group O than other blood groups (P=0.004).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study, we found that the patients with blood group AB have a higher risk for PE. The patients with PE of blood group O are at high risk of developing HT, and Rh factor was identified as another risk at this point and these patients should be closely followed postpartum.
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Department, Kayseri Training and Research Hospital, Kayseri, Turkey.
authors.forename: Deniz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Avci
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Department, Acıbadem Kayseri Hospital, Kayseri, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hatice
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Karagoz
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Department, Kayseri Training and Research Hospital, Kayseri, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ozerhan
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ozer
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Department, Kayseri Training and Research Hospital, Kayseri, Turkey.
authors.forename: Kubra
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Esmeray
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Department, Kayseri Training and Research Hospital, Kayseri, Turkey.
authors.forename: Kadir
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bulut
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Department, Kayseri Training and Research Hospital, Kayseri, Turkey.
authors.forename: Fatma
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aykas
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Department, Kayseri Training and Research Hospital, Kayseri, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cetinkaya
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Department, Kayseri Training and Research Hospital, Kayseri, Turkey.
authors.forename: Emine
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Uslu
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Department, Kayseri Training and Research Hospital, Kayseri, Turkey.
authors.forename: Samet
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Karahan
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Department, Kayseri Training and Research Hospital, Kayseri, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Basak
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Department, Kayseri Training and Research Hospital, Kayseri, Turkey.
authors.forename: Abdulsamet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Erden
keywords: ABO blood groups; Rh factor; hypertension; postpartum; preeclampsia; pregnancy; proteinuria