The Distribution of the ABO and Rh (D) Blood Types in Patients with Type II Diabetes Mellitus

Objective: To find out the association of type II diabetes mellitus (DM) with different ABO and Rh blood groups. Materials & Methods: The study involved 253 patients who reported to Haematology Laboratory for blood investigations over a period of 6 months. Based on their hematological findings i.e. Random & Fasting Blood Sugar levels, two groups were created; Group I (Diabetic patients) & Group II (Healthy controls). Both the groups were screened for ABO & Rh blood grouping. Results: Blood groups AB & B showed less common association, whereas patients with blood group A were associated more with diabetes mellitus (DM), as compared to controls. Blood group O showed similar distribution among both groups. Higher percentage of diabetics than controls had Rh positive blood group (97.3% vs 93.9%), whereas less percentage of diabetics showed Rh negative blood group (6.1% vs 2.7%). Higher percentage of diabetics with blood group B, AB and O were positive, whereas it was same in blood group A. Conclusion: The results obtained revealed an association between Rh positive blood groups and DM and a negative association between blood groups B & AB, as these groups were less common in diabetics.