Affiliations: Hemorheology and Thrombosis Unit, La Fe University Hospital, Valencia, Spain | Transfusion Center, Valencia, Spain | Genetic and Molecular Epidemiology Unit, and CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (ISCIII), School of Medicine, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain | Department of Physiology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain | Department of Applied Linguistic, Polytechnic University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
Note: [] Corresponding author: Amparo Vayá, MD, PhD, Haemorheology and Thrombosis Unit, Department of Clinical Pathology, La Fe University Hospital, Avda. Campanar 21, Valencia 46009, Spain. Tel./Fax: +34 96 3862714; E-mail: vaya_amp@gva.es.
Abstract: It is not established whether there is an association between erythrocyte aggregation and AB0 blood type, as glycophorins carry sialic acid which is responsible for the negative erythrocyte surface charge and the antigenicity for AB0 blood groups. We have determined erythrocyte aggregation by means of the Myrenne aggregometer in 114 healthy volunteers, along with plasma lipids, fibrinogen and AB0 blood groups. No differences in erythrocyte aggregation (EA0 and EA1) were observed when subjects with 0 (n=45) and non-0 (n=69) blood group were compared (P=0.624 and P=0.838, respectively). Fibrinogen was statistically lower in 0 group compared with non-0 group (P=0.012). Erythrocyte aggregation (EA0 and EA1) correlated significantly with both lipids and fibrinogen (P<0.01). When erythrocyte aggregation was dichotomized as EA1≥8, no association was found with 0 and non-0 blood groups (P>0.05) but it was associated with high lipid levels: T-Chol > 220 mg/dl, TG > 175 mg/dl and high fibrinogen levels > 300 mg/dl (P=0.035; P=0.030; P=0.010, respectively). Erythrocyte aggregation does not seem to be associated with blood groups, but rather with plasma lipids and fibrinogen.
Keywords: Erythrocyte aggregability, AB0 blood groups
