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Received Jul 18, 2017; Accepted Oct 12, 2017
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1. Introduction
Malaria is a life-threatening parasitic disease transmitted by mosquitoes. Positive prevention and treatment for malaria have resulted in a wide-scale reduction in incidence and mortality; however, 198 million cases (uncertainty range: 124–283 million) and 584,000 deaths (range: 367,000–755,000) still occur yearly [1].
The relationship between ABO blood types and malaria susceptibility has been studied by several researchers; however, the results have been contradictory. Bayoumi et al. [2] observed no association between malaria prevalence and ABO blood types in central Sudan. Similarly, a study in Nigeria reported no significant association between ABO blood types and malaria infection [3]. However, other studies indicated a significant association between malaria and ABO blood types. Bedu-Addo et al. showed a clear protective effect of blood group O against malaria in primipara [4]. Research in Gabon reported a significant association between blood group A and severe malaria [5].
Among the global malaria burden, 90% has been estimated to occur in Sub-Saharan Africa [6]; hence, research on the association between ABO blood types and malaria has been concentrated in Africa. Studies on the association between ABO blood types and malaria among Chinese adults are extremely rare. However, malaria is one of the major parasitic diseases with a wide distribution in China [7]. Therefore, this study aims to determine the relationship between ABO blood types and malaria among adults in east China.
2. Methods
2.1. Study Design
This retrospective study was conducted in the State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Department of Infectious Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, China. The research was approved by the Ethics Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University,...