Investigation of the relationship between gastric intestinal metaplasia, Helicobacter pylori positivity and ABO/Rh blood group: A retrospective single-center study from Isparta Province

This study investigated the potential association between gastric intestinal metaplasia, Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) positivity and ABO/Rh blood types. Additionally, the study examined the association between intestinal metaplasia and H pylori positivity. The study population consisted of 297 patients aged 19 years and older who underwent endoscopic biopsies for the assessment of intestinal metaplasia and H pylori infection. Patients' ABO/Rh blood type information was retrieved from the hospitals electronic archive system. Comparative analyses were performed to assess the distribution of ABO/Rh blood types among patients with and without intestinal metaplasia and H pylori infection. No statistically significant correlation was observed between H pylori positivity on endoscopic biopsy and ABO/Rh blood types. Similarly, there was no statistically significant correlation between intestinal metaplasia and ABO/Rh blood types. However, a significant association was identified between H pylori infection and intestinal metaplasia. The observed association between H pylori infection and intestinal metaplasia underscores the importance of H pylori testing in patients diagnosed with intestinal metaplasia. While our findings suggest that ABO/Rh blood type may not be a risk factor for intestinal metaplasia or H pylori infection, further research with a larger sample size is warranted to confirm these results, particularly in light of existing conflicting data in the literature.