Evaluation of the distribution of ABO and Rh blood groups in geriatric patients aged ≥85 years: A retrospective single-center study

The study aimed to determine whether significant differences exist in blood group type distribution between the elderly population and a younger population. The geriatric group consisted of 2247 patients aged 85 years and older. As for the control group, 2968 individuals aged 20 to 22 years were included. The primary objective was to assess the distribution of ABO and Rh blood group types within each study group and to identify any statistically significant differences between the geriatric and control groups. Analysis considering both ABO and Rh blood types indicated that A Rh(+) was the most common type in both groups. Conversely, AB Rh(-) was the rarest type in both groups. Additionally, statistical analysis revealed no significant difference in ABO blood group type frequencies between the 2 groups (P = .121). Furthermore, there was no statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of the frequency of Rh positivity: 88.7% in the geriatric patient group and 88.4% in the control group (P = .748). Our findings suggest that ABO/Rh blood type diversity may not be a significant determinant of longevity in individuals aged 85 years and above.