Analysis of the correlation between ABO blood type and three bone mineral density measurements in patients with lumbar degenerative diseases

Purpose The purpose of this study is to evaluate the association between ABO blood type and three bone mineral density (BMD) measurements including CT Hounsfield units (HU), vertebral bone quality (VBQ) scores, and Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) in patients undergoing transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) for lumbar degenerative diseases (LDD) and determine the postoperative BMD-related complications and patient-reported outcomes in four ABO-type groups. Methods This study included patients undergoing single-level TLIF for LDD at our center from 2014 to 2020. Demographic and clinical information were collected. The correlation between ABO blood type and three BMD measurements was analyzed. Radiographic images, the visual analog scale (VAS) score of back and leg pain, and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were used to compare the differences in BMD-related complications and patient-reported outcomes between four ABO-type groups. Results 350 patients were included in this study. ABO blood group distribution is O (33.7%), A (32.6%), B (24.6%), and AB (9.7%). The values of CT HU in four groups have a significant difference (P = 0.001). Patients with CT HU <= 110 were older (62.6 +/- 11.6 vs. 58.4 +/- 13.4, P = 0.022) and had a higher proportion of O blood type (45.2% vs. 31.3%) compared to patients with CT HU>110. There are no statistically significant differences in BMD-related complications and patient-reported outcomes between the four ABO-type groups. Conclusion Our study found a close connection between ABO blood type and CT HU in patients undergoing TLIF for LDD and determined O blood type is a risk factor for osteoporosis.