

pylori may also be connected to higher rates of pancreatic cancer in blood types A, B, and AB. Bacterial infections from helicobacter pylori are more common in patients who have type A blood, and these infections can cause stomach ulcers, inflammations, and sometimes lead to cancer, Comenzo says. Research shows that people with type A blood are at a higher risk of developing certain stomach cancers. But learning how they impact different disease risks can improve our understanding of how and why people develop different health issues.Ĭancers. People with AB blood have both A and B antigens, and people with O blood have neither.īlood types are genetic they stem from variations in one gene in our body known as the ABO gene and they’re not something we can change. But if their body encounters A antigens from, say, transfused blood, it will immediately try to destroy those cells as if they were an infection. This means that their body will recognize other B antigens as safe and won’t react to them. A person with B blood, for example, has B antigens on their red blood cells. Our blood type is based on specific antigens, which are molecules that stimulate an immune response, that are present on the outside of our red blood cells. There are four major blood types: A, B, AB, and O. “But these linkages can provide avenues for further research to better understand these diseases and the risks for various populations.” “It’s not the kind of work that can guide clinical decision making for a specific patient,” Comenzo says.

Using large, population-wide surveys, researchers have found that certain blood types are associated with greater risks of heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers, says hematologist Raymond Comenzo, a professor at Tufts University School of Medicine and medical director of the Blood Bank and Transfusion Medicine Laboratory at Tufts Medical Center. But we can learn more from our blood types than simply whether or not we can safely accept a transfusion from a donor. Most people don’t think about their blood type unless they need surgery or are planning to donate blood.
