Global Journal of Transfusion Medicine (Jan 2020)

Frequency of alloantibody with their specification among multitransfused patients

  • Ayesha Khatun,
  • Munshi Md Habibullah,
  • Daanish Arefin Biswas,
  • Md Abdul Quader,
  • Jolly Biswas

DOI
https://doi.org/10.4103/GJTM.GJTM_40_19
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 5, no. 2
pp. 178 – 181

Abstract

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Background and Objectives: Alloimmunization is a very common clinical problem in transfusion-dependent patients but rarely detected in Bangladesh. The risk of alloimmunization is especially high in patients who receive repeated transfusion, i.e., thalassemia patients. The objective of this study was to investigate the seroprevalence and specificity of red blood cell antibodies in multitransfused thalassemic patients. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary care referral center from January 1, 2013, to March 31, 2016. Blood specimens were sent from different facilities and also from daycare transfusion center of the same when cross-match difficulties occur. When the Coomb's test showed positive result, then Rhesus, Kell, Kid, Duffy, and Lewis blood group typing were done according to the patients' need. Serum was used to identify the presence of alloantibody by the indirect Coomb's test with known cell panels. An autocontrol, positive and negative control for each specimen was incorporated to detect autoantibody and correctness of the procedure done. We performed a simple percentage to evaluate the analysis. Results: Of 1286 cases, alloantibody was detected in 334 (25.97%) cases. Among the 334 cases, 80 (23.95%) cases were followed up by antibody identification. The remaining 254 cases were referred cases with insufficient history and were dropped from the study. The male-to-female ratio was 1:2.2. The age group of 21–30 years showed the maximum antibody specificity (7.48%). Among the 80 samples with alloantibodies, Rh antibodies were noted in 80% (64) samples. Other antibodies detected belong to Kell, Kid, Duffy, and Lewis systems. Conclusion: Multitransfused (thalassemic) patients are more vulnerable to develop alloantibody. Therefore, routine antibody screening of donors and patients and the provision of antigen negative blood is recommended.

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