Association between acute pancreatitis severity and ABO/Rh blood group

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is an inflammatory disorder associated with a significant mortality rate in its severe form. This study aimed to evaluate the association between severity of AP and ABO/Rh blood type. Retrospective chart review was conducted on hospitalized patients who met the diagnostic criteria for AP. Data collected included patient demographics, ABO/Rh blood type, etiology of pancreatitis, severity based on the Atlanta classification, and hospital length of stay. The proportion of patients who experienced severe AP was compared amongst combinations of ABO/Rh blood group. Of the 358 patients included in the study, 20.9% had non-mild AP. The proportion of patients in each blood group with non-mild AP was as follows: A: 21.1%, B: 21.4%, AB: 5.9%, O: 30.9%, Rh+: 22.0%, Rh-: 14.8%. When comparing across A, B, AB, O and Rh groups separately and in combination, there was no statistically significant correlation found between AP severity and ABO/Rh blood type. In this retrospective cohort study, no significant association between ABO/Rh blood group and severity of AP was found, suggesting that the inflammatory cascade in AP is not directly influenced by blood groups.