The analysis of health data from more than 5 million people in Sweden identified 49 diseases linked to blood types, and one associated with the RhD group.
The findings showed that people with type A blood were more likely to have blood clots; those with type O blood were more likely to have a bleeding disorder; and women with type O blood were more likely to develop pregnancy-induced high blood pressure (“hypertension”).
The investigators also found a new link between type B blood and a lower risk of kidney stones, and noted that women who are RhD-positive are more likely to develop pregnancy-induced hypertension.
More research is needed to confirm these findings and to learn more about the links between blood type and disease risks, according to the study authors.
“Our findings highlight new and interesting relationships between conditions such as kidney stones and pregnancy-induced hypertension and blood type or group,” said senior author Gustaf Edgren, associate professor of epidemiology at the Karolinska Institute.
“They lay the groundwork for future studies to identify the mechanisms behind disease development, or for investigating new ways to identify and treat individuals with certain conditions,” Edgren added in a journal news release.
More information
The American Red Cross has more on blood types.