ISSN: 2469-5696

Asafa et al. Int J Blood Res Disord 2019, 6:040

DOI: 10.23937/2469-5696/1410040
International Journal of Volume 6 | Issue 1
Open Access

Blood Research and Disorders

Research Article

ABO Blood Group: Its Relationship with Anthropometric Parameters

Among Young Adult Nigerians of Yoruba Ethnicity
Asafa MA1*, Ogunlade O1, Bolarinwa RA2, Bisiriyu LA3 and Asafa ST4
1
Department of Physiological Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria
Check for
2
Department of Haematology and Immunology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria updates
3
Department of Demography and Social Statistics, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria
4
Department of Zoology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria

*Corresponding author: Asafa MA, Department of Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of
Health Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

Abstract Conclusion: Blood group AB is associated with weight,

BSA and BMI than any other blood group.
Introduction: It had been established that ABO blood group
system associated with some diseases or disorders. The Keywords
objective of this study was to determine the effect of ABO
ABO blood groups, Anthropometry, Young adults, Ethnicity
blood group on anthropometric indices among apparently
healthy young adults of Yoruba ethnicity.
Methods: Eighty apparently healthy young adults who were Introduction
purposely selected participated in the study after screening
for the ABO blood groups following the standard protocol.
The ABO blood group system was the first and most
They were divided into four equal groups; 20 in each of blood important human blood group system [1]. It was cred-
groups A, B, AB and O who were age- and sex- matched. ited to be discovered by Karl Landsteiner in 1900 [2].
The weight (kg) and height (cm) of the participants were The ABO blood group system is unique in immunology
measured following standard protocol. Body mass index
and haematology because it is the only system in which
(BMI) and body surface area (BSA) were estimated from
weight and height using Quetelex and Mosteller formulae antibodies are consistently and predictably present in
respectively. Chi square was used to compare grouped the serum of normal individuals whose red cells lack
data while comparison of means of parameters among the the antigens [3]. The antibody production becomes
four blood groups was done using Analysis of Variance detectable at three to six months of age [4]. Several
(ANOVA). A p-value of < 0.05 was taken statistically
significant.
epidemiological studies have reported that the distri-
bution of different ABO blood groups vary markedly
Results: Out of the total 80 participants, 15% were males.
among the populations of different geographical areas
The mean ± SD of height (m) of participants with blood
groups A, B, O and AB were 1.65 ± 0.06, 1.63 ± 0.08, 1.62 reflecting racial differences [5-7]. Human blood groups
± 0.08 and 1.63 ± 0.08 (F = 0.349, p = 0.790) respectively. are genetically determined antigens expressed on the
The mean ± SD of weight (kg) of the participants with surface of red blood cells [8]. The antigens may also be
blood group A, B, O and AB were 56.15 ± 8.71, 56.00 ± found in body fluids (urine, saliva and amniotic fluid) of
11.21, 57.10 ± 12.73 and 58.05 ± 10.35 (F = 0.154, p =
0.927) respectively. The mean ± SD of BMI in kg/m2 for
secretors [9]. Blood groups may also be expressed on
blood groups A, B, O and AB were 20.74 ± 3.22, 20.86 ± organ cellular surfaces. The association between ABO
2.91, 21.79 ± 5.10 and 21.91 ± 4.21 (F = 0.472, p = 0.703) blood groups and disease susceptibility has generated
respectively while the mean ± SD of BSA (m2) for blood a lot of interest [10-17]. Its association with anthropo-
group A, B, O and AB were 1.60 ± 0.12, 1.59 ± 0.19, 1.60
metric indices among young adults is rarely studied in
± 0.18 and 1.62 ± 0.15 (F = 0.098, p = 0.961) respectively.

Citation: Asafa MA, Ogunlade O, Bolarinwa RA, Bisiriyu LA, Asafa ST (2019) ABO Blood Group: Its
Relationship with Anthropometric Parameters Among Young Adult Nigerians of Yoruba Ethnicity. Int
J Blood Res Disord 6:040. doi.org/10.23937/2469-5696/1410040
Accepted: June 15, 2019: Published: June 17, 2019
Copyright: © 2019 Asafa MA, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of
the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and
reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Asafa et al. Int J Blood Res Disord 2019, 6:040 • Page 1 of 5 •

DOI: 10.23937/2469-5696/1410040 ISSN: 2469-5696

Nigeria. Body mass index (BMI) is regarded as most pop-

ular among the anthropometric indices. It is an inter- Obesity
nationally accepted index for assessing obesity [18-20]. 3%
Age and ethnicity had been reported to play significant
role in the anthropometric dimensions [21,22]. BMI as
Overweight
a trait is determined not only by environmental factors
10% Underweight
but also largely by interaction with inherited genetic
21%
factors [23]. Several studies have indicated that genetic
factors account for a substantial portion of variation in
human adiposity [24-26]. The ABO blood group system
is known to be one of such genetic make-up of an indi-
vidual that may provide much valuable information for
early detection of vulnerable groups for abnormal BMI
such as obesity [27]. Data is sparsed with regards to the
association between ABO blood group and anthropo-
metric indices among young adults of Yoruba ethnicity Normal weight
in Nigeria, hence this study. 66%

Methods
This study was carried out at Obafemi Awolowo Uni- Figure 1: Distribution of body mass index.
versity, Ile-Ife. It was a cross-sectional descriptive study
involving apparently healthy young adults between the
ages of 18 and 40 years (inclusive) of Yoruba ethnici- (A, B, AB and O) was done using Analysis of Variance
ty. The target population were the students of Obafemi (ANOVA). Comparison of grouped data were done using
Awolowo University community, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Ethi- chi square. A p value of < 0.05 was taken as statistically
cal approval was obtained from the Institute of Public significant.
Health of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. The
Results
participants were selected using purposive sampling
method. Blood samples were obtained from superficial The mean ± SD and range of age in years, weight
cubital vein (2 ml) from the participants at resting posi- in kg, height in metres, body surface area in metre
tion after cleaning with 75% ethyl alcohol using 5 ml sy- square, body mass index in kg/m2 were 21.50 ± 3.52
ringe and the sample was dispensed into Sodium EDTA (18-28), 56.83 ± 10.67 (39-95), 1.63 ± 0.07 (1.48-
anticoagulant bottle. All sample collections followed 1.81), 1.60 ± 0.14 (1.30 ± 2.08), 21.33 ± 3.92 (15.42-
standard procedure. A drop of each antisera A, B and 38.54) respectively. This study showed that 12% were
AB were placed on a clean white tile in three different underweight, 66% had had normal weight, 10% had
places marked X, Y and Z. Drops of blood were added to overweight and 3% had obesity (Figure 1). The highest
drops of antisera at points X, Y and Z respectively and and lowest mean height was found in blood groups A
mixed with the aid of glass rods. Then, the mixture was and O respectively. The highest mean weight, body
rocked gently for 60 seconds to observe for agglutina- surface area and body mass index were found in blood
tion. The results of agglutination were recorded imme- group AB. The relationship between ABO blood group
diately after mixing. The tests were done in duplicates and anthropometric parameters were not statistically
to ensure validity of results. The agglutinations in X & Z significant (p-value > 0.05) as shown in Table 1. The
were considered as blood group A and agglutinations in highest frequency of obesity was found in blood group
Y & Z were considered as blood group B. The agglutina- AB. The distribution of ABO blood group according to
tions at points X, Y and Z were considered as group AB. the BMI class (underweight, normal weight, overweight
If no agglutination at points X, Y and Z, the sample was and obesity) is as shown in Figure 2.
considered as blood group O. Agglutination at point X or
Discussion
Y or Z were considered invalid and the test was repeat-
ed. Heights and weight of all participants were mea- The mean weight (56.83 ± 10.67 kg) obtained from
sured to the nearest 1 cm and 0.5 kg respectively using this study was similar to 56.37 ± 6.53 kg reported in a
ZT120 Health Scale. The body mass index was calculated study among young adults within the age range of 18-40
from height in metres and weight in kg [28] and body years in India [30]. The mean height, weight and BMI of
surface area (BSA) was calculated from the weight (kg) the study population were similar to the earlier report
and height (cm) using Mosteller formula, BSA = [(weight of a study done within the same environment [31-33]. It
in kg × height in cm)/3600]1/2 [29]. The data were an- is also in consistency with the report of the study done
alyzed by the aids of IBM version 20.0 software using among the undergraduates of the University of Benin,
descriptive statistics and cross tabulations. Comparison Nigeria within the same age range [34]. The percentage
of means of parameters among the four blood groups of the participants that were either overweight (10%) or

Asafa et al. Int J Blood Res Disord 2019, 6:040 • Page 2 of 5 •

DOI: 10.23937/2469-5696/1410040 ISSN: 2469-5696

Table 1: Relationship between ABO blood group and anthropometric parameters.

Anthropometry Blood Group Parameters (Mean ± SD) F p-value

Weight (kg) A 56.15 ± 8.71
B 56.00 ± 11.21
0.154 0.927
O 57.10 ± 12.73
AB 58.05 ± 10.35
Height (m) A 1.65 ± 0.06
B 1.63 ± 0.08
0.349 0.790
O 1.62 ± 0.08
AB 1.63 ± 0.08
BSA (m2) A 1.60 ± 0.12
B 1.59 ± 0.19
0.098 0.961
O 1.60 ± 0.18
AB 1.62 ± 0.15
BMI (kg/m2) A 20.74 ± 3.22
B 20.86 ± 2.91
0.472 0.703
O 21.79 ± 5.10
AB 21.91 ± 4.21

N = 80 Statistically significant p-value*; SD: Standard Deviation; BSA: Body Surface Area; BMI: Body Mass Index.

Under weight Normal weight Over weight Obesity

80%

70%

60%

50%

35%

20%
15% 15% 15% 15%
10%
5% 5% 5%
0 0

A B O AB
Figure 2: Distribution of ABO blood group according to body mass index.
χ2 = 9.735, p-value = 0.372.

obese (3%) was far lower than 33.9% and 25.4% respec- From this study, the highest mean height was found
tively that was reported by Jafari, et al. in 2012 in adult in blood group A which is in line with the report of Chai-
Iran population between the ages of 40-57 years [35]. tra, et al. in a study done among 120 young adults of
The difference may be as a result of difference in age Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore in India within
and genetic make-up. The mean body surface area got- the age range of 18-22 years [37]. This is in contrast
ten from the study is similar to the report of El Missiri, with blood group B reported by Kuar in 2014 in study
et al. 2016 in a study conducted among young healthy done among post-menopausal females between 45 to
Egyptian adults [36]. 80 years of age living in India [17]. This contrast may
be due to the age difference among the participants.

Asafa et al. Int J Blood Res Disord 2019, 6:040 • Page 3 of 5 •

DOI: 10.23937/2469-5696/1410040 ISSN: 2469-5696

Highest mean BMI was found in blood group AB which Prevalence of hemoglobinopathy, ABO and rhesus blood
is supported by the studies of Ainee, et al., Amela, et al. groups in rural areas of West Bengal, India. J Res Med Sci
17: 772-776.
and Chaitra, et al. in studies done among young adults
[37-39]. The high BMI in this blood group may predis- 9. Sheryle AW (2010) Immunohematology for medical labo-
ratory Technicians. (1st edn), Delmar, Cengage Learning.
pose them to metabolic syndrome. This was in contrast
with a study by Jafari, et al. which reported highest BMI 10. Kucevic I, Vasic J, Svorcan JZ, Radisic B (2013) Evaluation
of ABO blood group distribution in Serbian patients with
in blood group A [35]. ABO blood group system did not
diabetes mellitus Type 2. Ser J Exp Clinical Res 14: 109-
have significant effect on body anthropometric param- 112.
eters (height, weight, BSA and BMI). This was in sup-
11. Bener A, Yousafzai MT (2014) The distribution of the ABO
port of the report of Jafari, et al. in 2012 in a popula- blood groups among diabetes mellitus patients in Qatar.
tion based study of 50,045 men and women who reside Niger J Clin Pract 17: 565-568.
in rural and urban areas of Golestan Province of Iran 12. Moinzadeh F, Najafabady GM, Toghiani A (2014) Type 2
[35]. This was also in line with report of Chaitra, et al. diabetes mellitus and ABO/Rh blood groups. J Res Med
in 2014 and Amela, et al. in 2017 among other studies Sci 19: 382.
[37,39,40]. The lowest mean BMI was in blood group A. 13. Wolpin BM, Kraft P, Gross M, Helzlsouer K, Bueno-de-
this could be due to preference of this blood group for Mesquita HB, et al. (2010) Pancreatic cancer risk and ABO
fruits and vegetables as earlier reported by Lam [41]. blood group alleles: Results from the pancreatic cancer
cohort consortium. Cancer Res 70: 1015-1023.
Conclusion 14. Xie J, Qureshi AA, Li Y, Han J (2010) ABO blood group and
Though ABO blood group has no significant effect incidence of skin cancer. PLoS One 5: e11972.
on body anthropometric parameters but blood group 15. Bhattacharyya S, Ganaraja B, Ramesh BM (2010) Corrre-
AB may be predisposed to metabolic syndrome due to lation between the blood groups, BMI and prehypertension
the higher mean of weight, BSA and BMI found in this among medical students. J Chinese Clinical Medicine 5:
78-82.
group.
16. Nasreen AR (2006) Blood groups and hypertension. J Bagh
Acknowledgement Coll Dentistry 18: 68-70.

The authors would like to thank the entire staff of 17. Kaur M (2014) Association between ABO blood group and
hypertension among post-menopausal females of North
Department of Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Basic
India. The Anthropologist 17: 677-680.
Medical Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife,
Nigeria for their support during the data collection, 18. Must A, Anderson SE (2006) Body mass index in children
and adolescents: Considerations for population-based
as well as the staff of the University Health Centre of applications. Int J Obes 30: 590-594.
Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Nigeria during the
19. Ajayi OI, Akinbo DB, Okafor AM (2017) Correlation between
research process.
Body Mass Index and Hematological Indices in Young
Funding Adult Nigerians with Different Hemoglobin Genotypes. Am
J Biomed Sci 9: 38-46.
No fund was received for this study. 20. Billewicz WZ, Kemsley WFF, Thomson AM (1962) Indices
of adiposity. Br J Prev Soc Med 16: 183-188.
References
21. Lean ME, Han TS, Bush H, Anderson AS, Bradby H,
1. Seeley RR, Stephens TD, Tate P (1988) Anatomy and
Williams R (2001) Ethnic differences in anthropometric and
Physiology. (4th edn), The McGraw Hill Companies, Inc,
lifestyle measures related to coronary heart disease risk
USA, 1098.
between South Asian, Italian and general population British
2. Watkins WM (2001) The ABO blood group system: Histori- women living in the west of Scotland. Int J Obes Relat
cal background. Transfus Med 11: 243-265. Metab Disord 25: 1800-1805.
3. Daniels GL (2002) Human Blood Groups. (2nd edn), 22. Yu-Cheng L, Wang JM, Wang EM (2004) The comparisons
Blackwell Science, Oxford, United Kingdom. of anthropometric characteristics among four peoples in
East Asia. Appl Ergon 35: 173-178.
4. Puneet KK (2012) Blood transfusion in clinical practice. (1st
edn), Copyright Intech open. 23. Loos RJ, Bouchard C (2003) Obesity--is it a genetic
disorder? J Intern Med 254: 401-425.
5. Sana Ullah, Ahmad T (2015) Distribution of ABO and Rh (D)
blood groups in the population of district dir lower, Khyber 24. Allison DB, Kaprio J, Korkeila M, Koskenvuo M, Neale M,
Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan. World Applied Sci J 33: 123-135. et al. (1996) The heritability of body mass index among an
international sample of monozygotic twins reared apart. Int
6. Anees M, Mirza MS (2005) Distribution of ABO and RH
J Obes Relat Metab Disord 20: 501-506.
blood group alleles in Gujrat region of Punjab, Pakistan.
Proc Pak Acad Sci 42: 233-238. 25. Bouchard C, Tremblay A, Després, JP, Nadeau A, Lupien
PJ, et al. (1990) The response to long-term overfeeding in
7. Bakare AA, Azeez MA, Agbolade JO (2006) Gene
identical twins. N Engl J Med 322: 1477-1482.
frequencies of ABO and rhesus blood groups and
haemoglobin variants in Ogbomoso, south-west Nigeria. 26. Price RA, Gottesman II (1991) Body fat in identical twins
African Journal of Biotechnology 5: 224-229. reared apart: Roles for genes and environment. Behav
Genet 21: 1-7.
8. Mondal B, Maiti S, Biswas BK, Ghosh D, Paul S (2012)

Asafa et al. Int J Blood Res Disord 2019, 6:040 • Page 4 of 5 •

DOI: 10.23937/2469-5696/1410040 ISSN: 2469-5696

27. Speliotes EK, Willer CJ, Berndt SI, Monda KL, Thorleifsson students in a university in Benin City, Nigeria. Trop J Pharm
G, et al. (2010) Association analyses of 249,796 individuals Res 13: 2109-2114.
reveal 18 new loci associated with body mass index. Nat
35. Jafari E, Sebghatollahi V, Kolahdoozan S, Elahi E, Pour-
Genet 42: 937-948.
shams A (2012) Body mass index and ABO blood groups
28. Keys A, Fidanza F, Karvonen MJ, Kimura N, Taylor HL among different ethnicities of the golestan cohort study
(1972) Indices of relative weight and obesity. J Chronic Dis subjects. Govaresh 17: 50-54.
25: 329-343.
36. El Missiri AM, El-Meniawy KA, Sakr SA, Mohamed AS
29. Mosteller RD (1987) Simplified calculation of body surface (2016) Normal reference values of echocardiographic
area. N Engl J Med 317: 1098. measurements in young Egyptian adults. The Egyptian
Heart Journal 68: 209-215.
30. Mahendrappa SK, Sathyanarayana TB (2014) The normal
variations in heart rate and QRS complex of healthy 37. Chaitra U, Bhagyalakshmi K, Vinodini N, Anupama N,
individuals in different age groups. Int J Res Med Sci 2: Rekha DK, et al. (2014) Comparison of heart rate variability
861-865. in different ABO blood groups of young adults. International
Journal of Medical Science and Public Health 3: 1466-1469.
31. Johnson OE, Adedoyin RA, Awotidebe TO, Mbada CE,
Otolorin OA, et al. (2013) Cardiovascular risk among Un- 38. Ainee A, Hussain S, Kauser T, Qureshi TM, Nadeem M, et
dergraduates in a Nigerian University. Int J Public Health al. (2014) Studies on comparison of Body Mass Index (BMI)
Epidemiol 2: 85-89. of school going children having different blood groups (A,
B, Ab and O) of Sargodha District. Pak J Nutr 3: 164-167.
32. Ogunlade O, Asafa Ma (2015) pattern and prevalence of
underweight, overweight and obesity among young adult 39. Amela H, Edina H, Snježana H, Emir H, Aldijana A, et
Nigerians. Am J Biomed Life Sci 3: 12-15. al. (2017) Blood Group, Hypertension and Obesity in the
student population of northeast Bosnia and Herzegovina.
33. Ogunlade O, Asafa MA, Ayoka AO, Akintomide AO (2016)
IFMBE Proceedings 62: 774-777.
Association between body anthropometric parameters and
indices of cardiac autonomic function among apparently 40. Mascie-Taylor CG, Lasker GW (1990) Lack of an association
healthy young adults. Archives of Medicine and Health between ABO and Rh blood group polymorphisms and
Sciences 4: 26-29. stature, body weight, and BMI in a cohort of British women.
Hum Biol 62: 573-576.
34. Odili VU, Egor FO, Osarenmwinda IM, Obieche AO (2014)
Prevalence of overweight and obesity among pharmacy 41. Lam M Blood Type Diet.

Asafa et al. Int J Blood Res Disord 2019, 6:040 • Page 5 of 5 •