Introduction: Blood group antigens are hereditarily determined and play a vital role in transfusion safety, understanding genetics and inheritance pattern and disease susceptibility. ABO and Rh system is the most common and widely used world-wide. The objective of the present study was to determine the distribution of blood groups (ABO and Rh) subtypes A1, A2, A1B & A2B and Bombay blood group in the local population of Sikkim. Methods: A total of 262 blood samples were collected over a period of two months from voluntary blood donors, which included hospital staff, visitors and patients and local inhabitants of Sikkim. Determination of various blood groups namely |ABO, Rh, A1, A2, A1B, A2B and Bombay blood group were performed. Results: Out of the total sample the most common blood group was O blood group comprising 34.73% followed by B group (28.24%), A (22.91%) and AB (14.12%). 98.4% of the total samples were Rh positive. When blood group A and AB were further sub-typed the distribution of A1 antigen was 98.3% and A1B was 89.7% respectively among A and AB blood groups. Among the 91 blood group O samples only 1 was reactive to H antigen. Conclusion: The distribution of Blood group O was highest in these region closely followed by B, A and AB. Almost all the samples showed positivity for Rh. The distribution of A2 and A2B were very low and Bombay blood group was very rare in this part of the country, however further study is required on a larger scale as this study was done in a hospital set up for a very short period of time
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