First Report of Phenotype Prevalence of Five Major Rh Blood Group Antigens in the Blood Donor Population of Peshawar, Pakistan

  • Noore Saba Peshawar Regional Blood Centre, Provincial Department of Health, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
  • Usman Waheed Peshawar Regional Blood Centre, Provincial Department of Health, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
  • Muhammad Nisar Khan Peshawar Regional Blood Centre, Provincial Department of Health, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
  • Muhammad Saeed Mirpur Regional Blood Centre, Divisional Headquarters Teaching Hospital, Mirpur, AJK, Pakistan
  • Tariq Hayat Khan Department of Emergency and Trauma, Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar, Pakistan
  • Akhlaaq Wazeer Mirpur Regional Blood Centre, Divisional Headquarters Teaching Hospital, Mirpur, AJK, Pakistan
  • Saeed Ahmed Department of Blood Bank, Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Objective: The current study investigated the prevalence of five major Rh blood group antigens in the Peshawar region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan.

Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study, conducted at the Peshawar Regional Blood Centre from February to April 2023. A total of 13,148 blood donor samples were analyzed for Rh D, C, c, E, and e antigens using monoclonal reagents. The frequencies were calculated by direct counting on a spreadsheet programme and the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS for Windows version 25.0. Armonk, NY, USA) was used to conduct a meta-analysis for comparison of results with national and international studies.

Results: The findings of the current study revealed that 92.17% of donors were RhD positive. The e antigen showed the highest frequency of 98.31%, followed by D antigen and the C antigen (92.17% and 78.37%, respectively). Comparative analyses with earlier Pakistani studies and international data indicated significant variations in antigen frequencies, potentially attributed to the diverse ethnic population and geography of the region.

Conclusion: The findings emphasize the importance of local antigen frequency data for efficient blood transfusion strategies, especially for thalassaemia patients requiring frequent transfusions.

Key words: Rhesus, Blood Group, Phenotype

Published
2024-01-12
Section
Original Articles