Association of ABO blood group with risk of coronary stent thrombosis

Background: ABO blood group's influence on cardiovascular risk, particularly in venous thromboembolism and coronary artery disease (CAD), is well-studied, with non-O blood groups associated with heightened CAD risk. However, its impact on stent thrombosis remains an unexplored area, prompting the question of whether ABO blood groups are also associated with risk of early stent thrombosis.

Objectives: The primary objective of this study was to analyze the impact of ABO blood groups on the occurrence of early (≤30 days) stent thrombosis.

Methods: The study included 10,714 consecutive patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with implantation of drug-eluting stents (DES) at a tertiary care hospital. Among these, 78 patients (0.73 %) experienced early stent thrombosis. Propensity score matching was conducted using cardiovascular risk factors and predictors of stent thrombosis, including age, sex, diabetes, hypertension, smoking, hypercholesterinemia, and clinical presentation.

Results: The presence of non-0 blood groups (blood groups A, B and AB; OR 1.48; 95 % CI 0.74-2.97; p = 0.27) and of A-antigen (blood groups A, AB; OR 0.93; 95 % CI 0.51-1.84; p = 0.89) was not associated early stent thrombosis, respectively. In contrast, patients with B-antigen (blood groups B, AB) were at higher risk of early stent thrombosis as compared to patients with blood group 0 (OR 2.48; 95 % CI 1.08-5.69; p = 0.019).

Conclusion: The presence of blood group antigen B (blood groups B and AB) emerged as a significant factor associated with early stent thrombosis. Further investigations are warranted to elucidate the specific biological mechanisms through which ABO blood group antigens could influence stent thrombosis.