The association of ABO and Rhesus blood groups with the occurrence of type 2 diabetes mellitus

ABO and Rhesus (Rh) blood groups have been shown to influence the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, findings have been inconsistent, partially due to genetic and geographic differences. This study aims to evaluate the association between ABO and Rh blood groups and the occurrence of T2DM in Saudi Arabia. This cross-sectional study was conducted at King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC) in Saudi Arabia. A total of 666 subjects were included, consisting of 350 T2DM patients and 316 healthy blood donors who served as controls. The study spanned from January 2019 to December 2023. Chi-square tests and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the association between ABO and Rh blood groups and T2DM. The distribution of ABO blood groups differed significantly between the T2DM and control groups ( p = 0.0005). The frequencies of blood groups A, B and AB were higher in the T2DM group compared with the control group, whereas blood group O was more prevalent in the control group when compared to T2DM (56.2% vs. 43.8%). Multivariable logistic regression analysis indicated that only phenotype B was significantly associated with increased odds of T2DM ( p = 0.017), while blood type O was associated with lower odds of T2DM ( p < 0.001). No significant association was identified between the Rh blood group and T2DM. Additionally, there were no differences in the prevalence of ABO and Rh phenotypes between diabetics and controls when stratified by sex or glucose tests categories ( p > 0.05). The findings of this study suggest that individuals with blood group B have a higher odd of T2DM compared to other ABO blood groups. In contrast, individuals with blood group O show a protective association with T2DM. Further research is needed to validate these findings and explore underlying mechanisms in larger, prospective studies.