ABO blood group distribution and severity of coronary artery disease among patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery in Northern Finland

During the last few decades, several studies have showed a certain association between ABO blood groups, in particular non-O blood groups, and the risk of developing severe manifestations of atherosclerosis [1–6]. Some studies also showed an association between these blood groups and the development of lower limb venous thrombosis [7–9]. Indeed, increased levels of factor VIII [5,9–12], von Willebrand factor [6,10–12], fragment 1 + 2 of prothrombin [13], and lower APTT ratio [12] have been observed in subjects with non-O blood groups, thus the latter seem to have an increased prothrombotic tendency. Herein, we report a study on the distribution of ABO blood groups in a series of patients who underwent primary coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in order to evaluate whether ABO blood groups are associated with an increased risk of developing severe coronary artery disease and with poorer postoperative outcome.