Frequency of RBC Alloantibodies in Chinese Surgical Patients

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of red blood cell (RBC) alloantibodies in surgical patients. Methods: Blood samples of 18,980 Chinese surgical patients were collected and tested between January 2009 and September 2010. For patients with RBC alloantibodies, sequences of antibodies were identified with the DiaMed Asia antibody screening system. Data regarding sex, age, transfusion history, pregnancy history, and alloantibody specificity were collected. Results: 39 alloantibodies were identified from 18,980 samples, yielding a prevalence of 0.21%. The most frequently identified alloantibodies were Rhesus system antibodies (28/39, 71.8%), including anti-E (17/39; 1 anti-E accompanied by anti-Fy^b), anti-c (5/39), anti-cE (2/39), anti-C^w (1/39), anti-D (1/39), and anti-e (1/39). Other antibodies included anti-M (5/39), anti-Le^a (2/39), anti-Le^b (1/39), anti-K+S (1/39), anti-JK^a (1/39), and anti-JS^a (1/39). The frequency of alloantibodies was greater in females than in males (31 vs. 8). Conclusion: The results show a higher prevalence of RBC alloantibodies in females than in males. Anti-E was the most common alloantibody identified in this Chinese surgical population and was also more frequent in females compared to males.

Prevalence and specificity of RBC alloantibodies in the general hospitalised population in Guangxi

“…For the blood groups of the Rh system, anti‐E was the most common RBC antibody in this study, in accordance with reports on other Chinese populations (Lee et al , ; Wu et al , ; Cheng et al , ; Wang et al , ; Xu et al , ), as well as Asians (Takeshita et al , ; Al‐Joudi et al , ) and Caucasians (Hoeltge et al , ; Winters et al , ; Tormey et al , ). These data suggest that anti‐E is the most frequent alloantibody in human beings.…”

“…In the analysis of national subgroups, we found that the specificities and frequencies of the 166 alloantibodies were similar across ethnicities; these data indicated that the blood group antigens of the genetic structure of ethnic groups in Guangxi have undergone some changes because of intermarriage. The ethnic variation in our study group may have contributed to the distinct frequency of RBC alloantibodies, which was slightly higher than those in other studied Chinese populations (0·21–0·50%) (Lee et al , ; Wu et al , ; Wang et al , ; Xu et al , ). In most previous studies, the prevalence of RBC alloantibodies in females has been more predominant than in males (Al‐Joudi et al , ; Wang et al , ; Xu et al , ).…”

“…The ethnic variation in our study group may have contributed to the distinct frequency of RBC alloantibodies, which was slightly higher than those in other studied Chinese populations (0·21–0·50%) (Lee et al , ; Wu et al , ; Wang et al , ; Xu et al , ). In most previous studies, the prevalence of RBC alloantibodies in females has been more predominant than in males (Al‐Joudi et al , ; Wang et al , ; Xu et al , ). In this study, however, the prevalence of RBC alloantibodies in males (0·79%) was slightly more frequent compared with females (0·72%), but there was no significant difference between them as determined using the χ 2 test.…”

“…This study represented an effort to characterise the frequency and specificities of RBC alloantibodies in hospitalised patients in Guangxi in the south of China. Our results revealed that the antibody prevalence in Guangxi patients was 0·74%, and in the analysis of national subgroups, the antibodies' frequency of distribution in Han people, Zhuang people and people of other ethnicities were 0·730·97and 0·88%, respectively; these rates were higher than those reported in other hospitalised Chinese patients (0·21–0·50%) (Lee et al , ; Wu et al , ; Wang et al , ; Xu et al , ). However, the antibody prevalence in this study was relatively lower than those in Asians (1·13–1·43%) (Takeshita et al , ; Al‐Joudi et al , ) and Americans (2·4–2·9%) (Hoeltge et al , ; Tormey et al , ).…”

“…With the development of human beings, intermarriage between different ethnic groups in Guangxi has been more common, and the genetic structure of the population has also undergone some changes. Some reports on alloantibodies to RBCs in the northern and central parts of China have been published (Wang et al , ; Xu et al , ). With very limited data on alloantibodies in the Guangxi population, we carried out a study at the People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region to determine the prevalence and specificity of RBC alloantibodies in hospitalised Chinese patients in Guangxi.…”