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Abstract: SA-PO1166

Recipient ABO Blood Group May Be Associated with Increased Mortality Risk Among Patients with Kidney Transplants

Session Information

Category: Transplantation

  • 1902 Transplantation: Clinical

Authors

  • Ng, Monica S., Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
  • Ullah, Shahid, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
  • Wilson, Gregory John, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
  • McDonald, Stephen P., South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
  • Sypek, Matthew P., South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
  • Mallett, Andrew John, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Background

Blood groups A and B have been associated with increased risks of cardiovascular disease, infection and cancers. To date, the effect of recipient ABO blood group on patient survival has not been studied in ABO-matched solid organ transplantation.

Methods

All Australian and New Zealand transplant recipients who received ABO-compatible primary kidney transplant between 1995-2016 were analysed using data from the Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant (ANZDATA) registry. The exposure was recipients’ ABO blood group, with the primary analysis being O / non-O and secondary analysis Individual blood groups. Outcome was patient survival. Recipient age, gender, ethnicity, body mass index, smoking status, comorbidities, primary kidney disease; donor type, age and gender; and transplant era were included in the multivariate model as confounders.

Results

On analysis of 15,523 kidney transplant recipients, blood group O was not associated with patient survival (hazard ratio (HR) 0.97, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.91-1.05) compared to non-blood group O recipients. Blood group A was associated with reduced patient survival compared to non-blood group A recipients (HR 1.10, 95% CI 1.02-1.18).

Conclusion

This analysis suggests that blood group A recipients may have reduced patient survival compared to non-A recipients. Further research is required to confirm these findings and determine the source of this difference – be it biological or unmeasured confounders.