Do you know your blood type?
Blood type is important information used in blood transfusions, but few people realize that blood type can also be associated with disease risk. In the general population, people with blood type O have been reported to have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and lower mortality from cardiovascular disease. Non-cardiovascular diseases are also associated with ABO blood types, such as certain cancers and infections. However, these numbers do not take into account the hemodialysis patient population, which faces higher risks than the general population.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in dialysis patients, but its relationship to blood type is often overlooked. To address this, a research group led by Dr. Masafumi Kurashiki of the Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Medicine conducted a large prospective cohort study to examine whether the association between blood type and cardiovascular risk seen in the general population also exists in patients undergoing hemodialysis. The study included 1,671 patients undergoing hemodialysis at 17 medical facilities in Osaka Prefecture. Participants’ health status was followed for approximately five years, and the association between ABO blood type and all-cause, cardiovascular, and non-cardiovascular mortality was analyzed.
During follow-up, 464 patients died, including 278 due to cardiovascular disease. Researchers found that patients with blood group A had a lower risk of both all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. In contrast, blood type was not associated with non-cardiovascular mortality, including death from infections and malignancies.
A particularly noteworthy finding is that blood type O is associated with lower cardiovascular risk in the general population, whereas blood type A is associated with lower risk in dialysis patients. These results suggest that cardiovascular disease may develop through different mechanisms in hemodialysis patients. ”
Masafumi Kurashiro, AS PhD, Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Medicine
What’s more, part of blood type O’s reputation for lower risk is due to lower levels of plasma von Willebrand factor (VWF), a blood glycoprotein, and factor VIII, a blood clotting protein. However, the lower risk of cardiovascular mortality in blood group A dialysis patients indicates that differences in VWF and factor VIII levels are unlikely to be the underlying cause.
“At this time, our findings do not support changing treatment or prevention strategies based on blood type,” Dr. Kurajoh added. “However, understanding why blood type A is associated with lower cardiovascular mortality could provide new insights into the mechanisms of cardiovascular disease in dialysis patients and potentially guide future prevention and treatment approaches.”
The survey results are kidney international report.
sauce:
Osaka Metropolitan University
Reference magazines:
Kurashiro M. Others. (2026). ABO blood group and mortality in patients undergoing hemodialysis. Kidney International reported. DOI: 10.1016/j.ekir.2026.106558. https://www.kireports.org/article/S2468-0249(26)02790-7/fulltext
