Relationship Between ABO and Rhesus Blood Groups and Susceptibility to Asthma Within Sokoto Metropolis, Nigeria

Asthma is the result of chronic inflammation of the airways which subsequently results in increased contractability of the surrounding smooth muscles. This among other factors leads to bouts of narrowing of the airway and the classic symptoms of wheezing. As at 2011, World Health Organisation (WHO) reported that approximately 235 million people worldwide were affected by asthma. This study aims to evaluate and determine the susceptibility of ABO and Rh blood groups to asthma. A total of 200 clinically confirmed asthmatic patients and 100 apparently healthy individuals within Sokoto metropolis were prospectively enrolled and their blood group status were determined using red blood cell agglutination method. In this research work, the result obtained shows that 74 asthmatic patients constituting 37.0% out of the total 200 patients who participated in the study are blood group A, 56 (28.0%) are blood group B, 26 (13.0%) are blood group AB and 44 (22.0%) are blood group O. For Rh blood group, out of the 200 study subjects, 181 (90.5%) are Rh positive and 19 (9.5%) are Rh negative. Among 100 control participants 26 (26.0%) have A blood group, 24 (24.0%) have B blood group, 2 (2.0%) have AB blood group, and 48 (48.0%) have O blood group. No statistical difference was observed between Rh system in study subjects and controls, but blood group A was significantly higher in asthma patients compared to controls (P<0.05).