ABO Blood Group and Auditory Function in Young Adults

In recent years, research on the effect of blood group on hearing function has gained more attention. Some blood groups show susceptibility to certain general health and auditory disorders like noise induced hearing loss, infections, coronary artery disease, gastric carcinoma and duodenal ulcer.

The present study aimed to determine the differences in middle ear and cochlear function among persons with different blood groups (AB, A, B, O).

Sixty adults (18–24 years) with normal hearing sensitivity were included in the study. They were divided into four groups based on blood groups (A, B, AB, O) with 15 participants each. High-frequency thresholds, distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) and resonance frequency were measured. High-frequency thresholds for both ears were measured at octave frequencies from 9 kHz to 16 kHz. Resonant frequency was determined using sweep frequency method.

The findings demonstrated that individuals with blood group AB and O had considerably lower DPOAE amplitudes. Resonance frequency and extended high frequency thresholds did not, however, differ significantly between the blood groups.

The decrease in the amplitude of otoacoustic emissions (OAE) can be explained by a reduction in the quantity of robust outer hair cells and elevated protein levels, which in turn lead to a reduction in the cochlear blood flow in persons with blood type O and AB, respectively. More research with greater numbers of participants is necessary to improve the generalization of the findings.