Prevalence Of Blood Groups And Association With Ailments In Pakistani Population: A Review of The Current Literature

Abstract

The aim of this review is to report studies performed in Pakistan on the prevalence of blood groups among various sections of the population and their association with human diseases. Google Scholar was searched for the last 20 years based on MESH keywords mentioned below. The inclusion criteria were the studies published in the new millennium that reported either prevalence of blood groups or their association with diseases in the Pakistani population. There were 50 studies in Pakistan which fulfill the inclusion criteria. Among them, twenty- six were from Punjab, seven were from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KpK), six from Sindh, four from Kashmir, two from Northern areas, one from Baluchistan and 4 are review articles. This review concludes that blood group B is prevalent among Pakistani population followed by O, A and AB. Studies done in Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit- Baltistan reveal that B and A is prevalent in these areas respectively. AB is the least found group and Rh+ve is common among all studies. Moreover, this review also shows that blood groups act as a risk factor for many diseases. Therefore, Pakistani researchers are suggested to work on the genetic makeup of these blood groups to find out the cause of association with systemic ailments in the country.