ABO and Rh Blood Groups and Risk of Myelomeningocele

Özet

AIM: To investigate the relationship between the distribution of ABO or Rhesus (Rh) blood group antigens and the incidence ofmyelomeningocele.MATERIAL and METHODS: A retrospective data was reviewed for all myelomeningocele patients operated at a tertiary academichospital between years 2014 and 2019. Age, sex, delivery method, physical and neurological examination findings, and radiologicalfindings alongside with blood type of each patient were recorded. The data of blood group distribution among the study patientswas compared to the data of healthy individuals in the same region.RESULTS: Patients with group B and AB showed a higher chance of developing myelomeningocele. Rh-positive blood group wasassociated with high incidence of myelomeningocele (93.5%), whereas Rh-negative blood group showed least association (6.5%).Rh-positive blood group was also found to be more frequent in patients with myelomeningocele with hydrocephalus and Chiarimalformation.CONCLUSION: The findings of this study show that ABO and Rh blood groups have an effect on the development of myelomeningoceleunder the influence of environmental or genetic factors.