Possible Relation of Blood Groups to Age and Longevity

Abstract

The writer's purpose is to point out hitherto unrecognized possibilities of blood-group investigations in relation to the problems of human constitution.

Landsteiner found that blood-group formation is physiological, independent of pathological processes. 1 This discovery and the findings of von Dungern and Hirszfeld 2 that groups A and B are transmitted as dominants, stimulated much additional research on the problems of serology, heredity, anthropology, paternity and constitution. Hirszfeld 3 has stressed the importance of further research on the relation of blood groups to the problems of human constitution.

The problems of constitution deal primarily with those innate characters which largely preserve individual identity; therefore only those characters which are classifiable into discernible types in the living, and which, after type differentiation, remain permanent, or relatively so, throughout the life span, may be useful in these problems. The results of all investigations show that blood groups are innate and indicate that, after type differentiation early in life, the group inherited by the person remains permanent, regardless of disease and other environmental influences; 4 , 3 hence further research on the relation of blood groups to problems of human constitution may be of great promise, although the recorded results, thus far, are very contradictory. May not the reasons for such results be found in the lack of uniformity in technical details, race, stock or even community differences, inadequate numbers and controls and possibly in the fact that blood groups have not yet been studied in relation to age and longevity?

The relation of heredity to longevity has long been recognized. Genealogical and other studies show that longevity is heritable not only in man, but in lower forms. 5 In summing up his mathematical discussion on the relation of heredity to duration of life, Pearl 6 states, it “Indicates that from one-half to three-fourths of the death rate is selective in character, because that proportion is determined by hereditary factors. Just in proportion as heredity determines the death rate so is the mortality selective.”