Prevalence of alloantibodies against blood group antigens in beta-thalassemia patients in Jahrom city

Mismatch blood group antigens between blood donor and recipient increases the risk of alloimmunization. The aim of this study was to detect the frequency of unwanted alloantibodies against blood group antigens in beta-thalassemia patients receiving continuous blood transfusions in Jahrom City.

In this descriptive study, a total of 79 patients with beta-thalassemia were enrolled. Alloantibodies were evaluated using antibody screening and identification (panel test) methods. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS version 23. All data were statistically analyzed using descriptive statistics methods and Fisher's exact test.

In this study, 10 patients (12.65%) had alloantibodies against red blood cells (RBCs). The most commonly detected alloantibodies in patients were anti-K (50%), anti-E (20%), and anti-c (20%). The rate of alloimmunization was significantly lower in transfused patients with leukoreduced RBCs compared to those transfused with non-leukoreduced RBCs (P<0.001). Patients with O+ blood group produced the most alloantibody, which was not statistically significant (p=0.61). There was no statistically significant correlation between the prevalence of alloantibody with the sex and age variables (p>0.05).

Based on the results, the most commonly detected alloantibodies were against Kell and Rh (E, c) blood group systems, which can be useful in deciding to store blood components with rare blood groups.