THERE IS A RELATION BETWEEN BLOOD SUBGROUPS AND INSULIN RESISTANCE

FATMA AYKA޹, DENIZ AVCI², FERHAT ARIK², ALI ÇETINKAYA², OYKUN KOLAĞASI¹, MUSTAFA OZEN², ARZU OGUZ², AYDIN UNAL³, EMINE USLU², BADE ERTURK ARIK⁴

¹Antalya Training and Research Hospital, Department of Hematology - ²Kayseri Training and Research Hospital, Department of Internal Medicine - ³University of Erciyes, Department of Nephrology - ⁴University of Erciyes, Department of Family Practice

Objective: Effects of concomitance of genetic factors with diabetes mellitus have been researched for a long time. We investi- gated relationship between insulin resistance and ABO/Rh blood group systems, which has not been investigated before.

Material and method: In the present study, medical files of patients who applied to outpatient clinics of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Internal Medicine and Diabetes at Kayseri Training and Research Hospital between dates September 2010 and March 2015, and who had been studied for, but not diagnosed with diabetes mellitus, were retrospectively evaluated. Among patients, those with HOMA-IR≥ 2.5 were accepted as having insulin resistance, and enrolled in the study. Patient whose blood groups were recorded in the hospital records or blood groups were determined later during control visits. The control group composed of healthy indivi- duals who applied to the same hospital.

Results: When compared with the control group, blood type A was significantly higher in patients with insulin resistance (p=0.022). The adjusted p value was 0.264 when Bonferroni correction was used. Blood type O group was also determined less significantly higher in patients with insulin resistance (p=0.055). The adjusted p value was 0.060. No significant difference was determined in blood types B and AB (p=0.49 and 0.12, respectively). Blood type A Rh (+) was 45.2% in patients with IR whereas 37.2% in the control group (p=0.030, adj.p=0.360). Blood type 0 Rh (+) was significantly higher in the control group (p<0.001, adj.p<0.001).

Conclusion: These data suggest that individuals with blood type A are more directly related with insulin resistance, while those with type O are less directly related with insulin resistance in Turkish population.