Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Dengue fever (DF) has been steadily increasing in Northern Sudan with outbreaks in certain areas include Al Dabaa, Merowe, Dongola and Kareema. Along with secondary dengue, several risk factors predispose to dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome. Very few studies associating the relationship between dengue and its severity with ABO blood group have been documented. AIMS: The aim of this study was to determine the association between distribution of ABO and Rh blood groups and DF. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This was a retrospective descriptive study conducted at the clinical laboratory of the department of blood bank on the Military Hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Dengue patients whose case record contained information on blood group in Merowe Military hospital and Specialized Warranty hospital were screened for details of blood group and confirmed dengue diagnosis. 1100 case records were selected divided into cases who were admitted cases of dengue (1100 sample, 828 males, 272 females) and controls (400 sample, 360 males, 40 females) who were attending outpatient department for various other ailments, and demographic data (age, gender and blood group) were collected from them. The risk of acquiring dengue disease and severity and its association with factors such as blood group, gender and age were analyzed statistically. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: P value was calculated using the Chi-square test. Odds ratio were calculated using the Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: DF was higher in 70.7% of individuals with O +ve blood group as compared to 29.3% of controls (P = 0.019), whereas patients with blood group B -ve were significantly less affected with DF (P = 0.019). CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with O+ blood group are more prone to DF, whereas individuals with blood group B-ve are less prone.
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