Correlation between ABO blood group and gestational hypertensive disorder among pregnant women in Abuja, Nigeria

Gestational hypertensive disorder (GHD) is among the major health problems in pregnant women. In this study, we assessed the relationship between gestational hypertensive disorder and ABO blood groups among women who attended the antenatal clinic at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Abuja, Nigeria. Correlational study design was used on a total of 138 patients with sociodemographic characteristics and clinical data such as blood group, gestational hypertensive disorder status, maternal age at pregnancy, and parity were extracted. Descriptive statistics was carried out on the collected data and chi-square test for the test of association or Fisher’s exact where necessary. The maternal age of the women ranged from fifteen to fifty-one years old with a mean age of 30.7 ± 9.8. Clinical information revealed that 17 (12.3%) primigravida and 121 (87.7%) non-primigravida patients. The patients’ distribution by blood group revealed that 33 (23.9%), 32 (23.2%), 47 (34.1%) and 26 (18.8%) belonged to blood group A, B, AB, and O respectively. Our results showed a relationship between blood pressure and the ABO blood group but not significant with χ2 = 12.31 and p = 0.421 with blood pressure of 150/100–154/104 mmHg ranked highest in frequency among all the blood groups. Also, we observed a non- significant relationship between maternal age and the occurrence of GHD at χ2 =19.81 and p = 0.229 which implies that GHD is not associated with age but that blood pressure increases with gestational age. Interestingly, a significant relationship exists between gestational hypertension and parity at χ2 = 26.71 and p = 0.045. Blood group AB was more susceptible to gestational hypertensive disorder whereas blood groups O, A and B were less susceptible to it. We recommend increased awareness of GHD among pregnant women, all health workers, and the general public about its danger to pregnant mothers and fetuses.