DOI: 10.32322/jhsm.1971865 ISSN: 2636-8579

Association between ABO blood groups and clinical outcomes in patients with pulmonary embolism: a retrospective cohort study

Güzide Tomas, Bengü Kaan, Mustafa Düğer
Show PDF Cite
Aims: Although non-O blood groups have been associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolism, the prognostic significance of ABO blood groups after established pulmonary embolism (PE) remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the association between ABO blood groups and clinical characteristics, laboratory parameters, and short term in-hospital outcomes in patients with CTPA-confirmed PE.Methods: This retrospective single-center cohort study included 418 adult patients hospitalized with CTPA confirmed PE between January 2016 and October 2023. Patients were categorized according to ABO blood group and Rh status. The primary clinical outcomes were mortality, intensive care unit (ICU) requirement, and right heart strain. Multivariable logistic regression models were adjusted for age, gender, malignancy, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.Results: In the four-category ABO analysis, the overall association between ABO blood group and mortality (p=0.535), ICU requirement (p=0.202), and right heart strain (p=0.200) was not statistically significant after adjustment. In the secondary O versus non-O analysis, non-O blood groups were associated with lower odds of ICU requirement (adjusted OR=0.61, 95% CI: 0.38-0.99, p=0.043), whereas no significant association was observed with mortality (adjusted OR=0.61, 95% CI: 0.31-1.21, p=0.157) or right heart strain (adjusted OR=0.61, 95% CI: 0.36-1.03, p=0.063). Descriptive analyses showed higher platelet and CRP levels in the non-O group, whereas pro-BNP levels were higher in the O group. Rh positivity was not significantly associated with mortality, ICU requirement, or right heart strain in exploratory multivariable analyses.Conclusion: In patients with CTPA-confirmed pulmonary embolism, ABO blood group, analyzed as a four-category variable, was not independently associated with the major clinical outcomes evaluated. In the secondary O-versus-non-O analysis, non-O blood groups were associated with lower odds of ICU requirement; however, this exploratory finding should be interpreted cautiously and requires confirmation in independent cohorts. ABO blood group may be associated with selected laboratory variations, but its prognostic significance in acute PE remains uncertain.

More from our Archive