Z Gastroenterol 2019; 57(05): e149
DOI: 10.1055/s-0039-1691902
POSTER
Hepatologie
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

The impact of ABO blood type on VWF and factor VIII levels and the prevalence of portal vein thrombosis in patients with advanced chronic liver disease

B Scheiner
1   Medical University of Vienna, Department of Internal Medicine III, Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Vienna, Austria
,
PG Northup
2   University of Virginia, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
,
AB Gruber
1   Medical University of Vienna, Department of Internal Medicine III, Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Vienna, Austria
,
G Leitner
3   Medical University of Vienna, Department of Blood Group Serology and Transfusion Medicine, Vienna, Austria
,
P Quehenberger
4   Medical University of Vienna, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Vienna, Austria
,
J Thaler
5   Medical University of Vienna, Department of Internal Medicine I, Division of Hematology and Hemostaseology, Vienna, Austria
,
C Ay
5   Medical University of Vienna, Department of Internal Medicine I, Division of Hematology and Hemostaseology, Vienna, Austria
,
M Trauner
1   Medical University of Vienna, Department of Internal Medicine III, Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Vienna, Austria
,
T Reiberger
1   Medical University of Vienna, Department of Internal Medicine III, Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Vienna, Austria
,
T Lisman
6   University Medical Center Groningen, Surgical Research Laboratory and Section of Hepatobiliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Groningen, Netherlands
,
M Mandorfer
1   Medical University of Vienna, Department of Internal Medicine III, Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Vienna, Austria
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
16 May 2019 (online)

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Background and aims:

Non-O blood type (BT) is a risk factor for venous and arterial thromboses in the general population, which has been attributed to the effect of non-O-BT von Willebrand factor (VWF) and factor VIII (FVIII) levels. However, although procoagulant alterations, such as high VWF/FVIII levels, have been suggested as a risk factor for portal vein thrombosis (PVT) in patients with advanced chronic liver disease (ACLD), the impact of ABO-BT on PVT is unknown. We aimed to assess (I) whether non-O-BT is a risk factor for PVT and (II) whether non-O-BT impacts VWF/factor VIII levels in patients with ACLD.

Methods:

Retrospective analysis comprising two patient cohorts: (I) 'US' including all adult liver transplantations in the US in the MELD era and (II) 'Vienna' comprising patients with a hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) ≥6 mmHg.

Results:

(I) The 'US' cohort comprised 84947 patients (non-O: 55.43%). The prevalences of PVT at the time of listing for liver transplantation (4.37% vs. 4.56%; P= 0.1762) and at liver transplantation (9.56% vs. 9.33%; P= 0.2546)) were similar in patients with O- and non-O BT.

(II) 411 patients were included in the 'Vienna' cohort (non-O: 64%). Mean HVPG was 18 (9)mmHg and 90% of patients had a HVPG≥10 mmHg. VWF plasma levels were slightly higher in patients with a non-O BG (318 (164)% vs. 309 (176)%; P= 0.048; increase of 23.8 – 23.9% in adjusted analyses), however, ABO blood type explained only 1% of the variation in VWF and had no effect on factor VIII levels.

Conclusions:

ABO blood type contributes to the variation in VWF levels in patients with ACLD, however, its contribution to the variation of VWF is considerably smaller than in liver-healthy subjects. Moreover, ABO blood type had no impact on factor VIII. These findings may explain the absence of an association between ABO blood type and PVT in a large dataset.