Open AccessNon‐secretion of ABO blood group antigens: a host factor predisposing to recurrent urinary tract infections and renal scarring
Author(s) -
May S.J.,
Blackwell C.C.,
Brettle R.P.,
MacCallum C.J.,
Weir D.M.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1989.tb02425.x
Subject(s) - abo blood group system , urinary system , scars , medicine , immunology , kidney , pathology
In a study of 718 women referred for specialist investigation for recurrent urinary tract infections, 250 (34.8%, P <0.01) were non‐secretors. The proportion of non‐secretors among the women with renal scars (42.6%) was higher than that found for women with no evidence of renal scars (36.6%). Among 29 patients in whom symptoms began in childhood or adolescence, 51.7% were non‐secretors. The proportion of non‐secretors among individuals with renal scars in this study (42.6%) and that reported in the accompanying paper for Swedish children (40%) suggests that non‐secretion might influence the pathogenic sequelae of these infections. Possible host‐parasite interactions underlaying the increased proportion of non‐secretors among women with recurrent urinary tract infections and those leading to development of renal scars are discussed.