Association of ABO blood group with fracture pattern and mortality in hip fracture patients

IntroductionThe mechanism of falling has been proposed as the exclusive explanation for hip fracture pattern. Evidence exists that other genetic factors also influence proximal femoral fracture configuration. The ABO blood group serotype has been associated with other pathologies but any role in hip fracture has yet to be definitively characterised. MethodsOur National Hip Fracture Database was interrogated over a four-year period. All patients had their blood group retrieved, and this was compared with hip fracture pattern and mortality rates. Confounding factors were accounted for using logistic regression and the Cox proportional hazards model. ResultsA total of 2,987 consecutive patients presented to our institution. Those with blood group A were significantly more likely to sustain intracapsular fractures than ‘non-A’ individuals (p=0.009). The blood group distribution of patients with intracapsular fractures was identical to that of the national population of England. However, blood group A was less...