Association Between ABO Blood Groups and Diabetes Duration: A Large Cross-Sectional Study from Al-Marj City, Eastern Libya

Abstract

The correlation of ABO and Rhesus (Rh) blood group with diabetes mellitus is still debated. A cross-sectional study was carried out at the Al-Marj Specialized Hospital for Diabetes and Endocrinology in eastern Libya  In the period from September 2025 to January 2026..A consecutive sampling method was employed to recruit a total of 4,361 diabetic individuals (2,030 males and 2,331 females). The duration of diabetes, ABO blood group and Rh factor were collected from medical records. Statistical analyses One‑way ANOVA with Tukey's HSD was used to analyze the data, as well as independent t‑test (SPSS v20.0, p<0.05). The frequency distribution of ABO blood type was: type A (45.2%), followed by type O (31.2%), type B (16.9%) and type AB (6.6%). RhPositive patients accounted for 89.7%. The average length of diabetes was 11.80±9.42 years. Significant differences were observed among ABO groups (F=10.262, p<0.001) and ABO/Rh phenotypes (F=5.358, p<0.001). Diabetes duration was significantly shorter in patients with blood group A (11.05±9.13 years) than in patients with blood group B (12.86±9.57 years) and blood group O (12.76±9.92 years) (p<0.001). The longest duration was observed in AB⁻ (15. 25±10.24 years). There was no significant sex difference (p=0.401). This is the first large‑scale report in eastern Libya revealing a strong correlation between ABO blood groups and diabetes duration, This study represents the first large-scale investigation in eastern Libya to demonstrate a significant association between ABO blood groups and diabetes duration, with blood group A showing the shortest duration and AB⁻ the longest. In contrast, Rh factor alone and sex were not identified as significant predictors for diabetes duration.