Hemodialysis mortality risks by blood type

by Osaka Metropolitan University

edited by Sadie Harley, reviewed by Andrew Zinin

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Do you know your blood type? It is important information used for blood transfusions, but few realize that blood types could also be linked to disease risks. In the general population, people with blood type O have been reported to have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular mortality. Other noncardiovascular conditions are also associated with ABO blood types, such as certain cancers and infectious diseases. However, these findings do not take into consideration hemodialysis patients, who face higher risks than the general population.

The findings were published in Kidney International Reports.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among dialysis patients, but its relationship to blood type has often been overlooked. To address this, a research group led by Dr. Masafumi Kurajoh at Osaka Metropolitan University's Graduate School of Medicine conducted a large-scale prospective cohort study to examine whether the association between blood type and cardiovascular risk seen in the general population also exists in patients undergoing hemodialysis.

The study included 1,671 patients receiving hemodialysis at 17 medical facilities in Osaka Prefecture. Participants' health was tracked for approximately five years, and the associations between ABO blood type and all-cause, cardiovascular and noncardiovascular mortality were analyzed.

At follow-up, 464 patients had died, including 278 from cardiovascular disease. The researchers found that blood type A was associated with lower risks of both all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. In contrast, blood type was not associated with noncardiovascular mortality, including deaths due to infections or malignancies.

"A particularly notable finding is that, while blood type O has been associated with lower cardiovascular risk in the general population, blood type A was associated with lower risk in dialysis patients," Kurajoh said. "These results suggest that cardiovascular disease may develop through different mechanisms in hemodialysis patients."

Moreover, blood type O's reputation for lower risk is partially due to lower plasma von Willebrand factor (VWF), a blood glycoprotein, and factor VIII, a blood-clotting protein. However, the finding that dialysis patients with blood type A had lower cardiovascular mortality risks suggests that differences in VWF and factor VIII levels are unlikely to be the root cause.

"At present, our findings do not support changing treatment or prevention strategies based on blood type," Kurajoh added. "However, understanding why blood type A was associated with lower cardiovascular mortality may provide new insights into the mechanisms of cardiovascular disease in dialysis patients and help guide future preventive and therapeutic approaches."

More information

Masafumi Kurajoh et al, ABO Blood Types and Mortality in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis, Kidney International Reports (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.ekir.2026.106558

Key medical concepts

Cardiovascular DiseasesHemodialysesvon Willebrand Factor

Clinical categories

NephrologyCardiology Provided by Osaka Metropolitan University Who's behind this story?

Sadie Harley

BSc Life Sciences & Ecology. Microbiology lab background with pharmaceutical news experience in oil, gas, and renewable industries. Full profile →

Andrew Zinin

Master's in physics with research experience. Long-time science news enthusiast. Plays key role in Science X's editorial success. Full profile →

Citation: Hemodialysis mortality risks by blood type (2026, July 21) retrieved 21 July 2026 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-hemodialysis-mortality-blood.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.